Improved hydrolytic resistance of polylactide biocomposite films reinforced by rice husk before and after accelerated aging

The enhanced durability of biobased polylactide (PLA) is a critical prerequisitefor it to be considered a viable alternative to petroleum-based polymers forlong-term applications. Leveraging the performance improvements achievedthrough interface construction, PLA-biomass composites have garnered consid-erable interest and have been widely utilized as a completely degradable mate-rial. The hydrolytic behavior of PLA biocomposites in photo-hydrothermalenvironments was examined in this study in relation to the impact of biomasscomponents and the specifically designed interface. We observed that biomasscould act as an effective stabilizer in the composites, leading to a 25.6% reduc-tion in the hydrolysis reaction rate constant. This stabilization occurs as biomassimpedes the diffusion of water molecules and the extension of PLA molecularchains across various hydrothermal environments, thereby enhancing thehydrolytic resistance of PLA. The intriguing aspect is that this stabilizing effectof biomass could be moderated by an interface created through surface treat-ment, which facilitates enhanced transfer of active small molecules during thephotolysis-hydrolysis process. Consequently, this approach presents a novelmethod for producing PLA biocomposites that offers excellent hydrolytic resis-tance, an adjustable degradation cycle, and expected potential applications inadvanced packaging and agricultural domains.