Title
Influence of accelerated weathering on the performance of polylactic acid based materials
Authors
IULIANA SPIRIDON RALUCA NICOLETA DARIE NITA MAREK KOZLOWSKI ANCUTA NECHITA and RAMONA GABRIELA URSU

Received Dedicated to the 50^th anniversary of Cellulose Chemistry and Technology
Published Volume 50 Issue 5-6 May-June
Keywords PLA, biocomposites, grape seeds

Abstract
The interest in materials based on renewable resources has increased due to the need for finding alternatives to synthetic polymers made from petrochemicals. Biocomposites based on polylactic acid and grape seeds were obtained. Their mechanical, surface and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. It appeared that the grape seeds acted as a rigid filler responsible for increasing the stiffness of the polymeric matrix. Also, the addition of grape seeds determined an increase in the hydrophilicity of the materials. All the mechanical properties dropped after exposure of the materials to the combined action of temperature, humidity and UV radiation for 600 h, but the presence of a higher amount of grape seeds embedded in the polylactic acid matrix evidenced a stabilizing effect against UV exposure.