An entropy- TOPSIS approach to find PMMA/cellulose based biocomposite with optimum mechanical and bio-degradation properties

Poly methyl methacrylate based biocomposite has been manufactured using nanocellulose as reinforcement, which has been extracted from bagasse. The biocomposites are formed by bulk polymerization using benzoyl peroxide as initiator. The composites are evaluated by FTIR, X-ray diffraction, mechanical properties, UV analysis, scanning electron microscope, polarizing light microscope and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Variation in properties is an inherent drawback of natural fibers, for which this MCDM technique is very effective to decipher, the biocomposite with optimum properties. It has been found that when the bagasse fiber is treated with 3.5 % of sodium chlorite solution, it can produce biocomposite with PMMA. It has been observed that, cellulose grafting takes place in the PMMA chain in presence of benzoyl peroxide. Further the work has been extended with loading variation of the said cellulose fibers and 1.5 % loading has been found as the best. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that these evaluations have been substantiated by Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique involving ENTROPY and TOPSIS approach and successfully selected 1.5 wt % loading to fabricate the optimum biocomposite. This composite exhibited around 13.5 % biodegradation within 90 days. This film can find application in packaging field.