Effect of Sugar Palm Fiber (SPF) to the Structural and Optical Properties of Bioplastics (SPF/Starch/Chitosan/Polypropylene) in supporting Mechanical Properties and Degradation Performance

Recycling plastic waste by mix with natural polymers for bio-plastic packaging produces plastics with high mechanical properties and easily degradable. In this study, the relation between the structural and the optical properties of composite SPF/starch/chitosan/polypropylene to the mechanical properties and degradation performance were analyzed. Structural and optical properties of composite bioplastic SPF/Starch/Chitosan/Polypropylene have analyzed using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. The composition was varied: the ratio between starch and chitosan are 35/65, 50/50, and 65/35 with additional SPF for each ratio is 1%, 3%, and 5%. The SPF effectively enhances the tensile strength due to the SPF's better dispersion and interaction in the starch/chitosan/polypropylene matrix. For SPF's effect on the degradation performance, the ratio starch/chitosan 50/50 increase for 1% SPF is 87.23%, for 3% SPF is 92.59%, and for 5 SPF is 94.12%. The refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), dielectric functions (e), and energy loss function (Im (−1/ e)) determined from the quantitative analysis of FTIR spectra by using Kramers–Kronig (K–K) relations. The crystalline phase increases with increasing the amount of SPF in composite bioplastic SPF/Starch/Chitosan /Polypropylene for ratio starch/chitosan is 35/65, which consistent with the distance between the wavenumber (D) of transversal and longitudinal optical phonon vibration mode become wider. We found that a good correlation between optical properties, structural properties, mechanical properties, and degradation performance for ratio starch/chitosan 35/65 and 50/50 with SPF 1% and 3% in the composite. Besides, the FTIR spectra could be useful for determining the optical phonon vibration, dielectric function, and energy loss function of composite bioplastic SPF/Starch/Chitosan /Polypropylene. The degradation performance by additional polypropylene from plastic waste shows a potential solution for decreasing plastic waste in the world.