Pengaruh Compatibilizer Citric Acid pada Kekuatan Tarik Komposit Bioplastik dari Polylatic Acid dan Pati Singkong

Abstract

This study aims to develop bioplastic composites with natural fiber fillers such as cassava starch to produce a product that is environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive to produce. However, the alloy between PLA and starch requires a compatibilizer which acts as a crosslinker. Citric acid (CA) is recognized as a crosslinking agent for starch modification. Due to the multi-carboxyl structure, CA can function as a crosslinking agent and the carboxyl groups on CA can form stronger hydrogen bonds between hydroxyl groups on starch molecules. Therefore, it can improve the mechanical properties of starch. effect of adding citric acid compatibilizer to a mixture of PLA and cassava starch on tensile strength and morphology. Based on the results of this study the addition of citric acid compatibilizer affected the tensile strength where the highest value was in the mass variation of 32% citric acid and the lowest was in the mass variation of 36% citric acid. The morphological observations showed that the 32% citric acid variation was the best bond and the 36% variation was the worst bond.