In this work, biodegradable biocomposites were developed using PLA/PHB blend as matrix and two types of microcrystalline cellulose as filler at three different contents. The biocomposites were evaluated regarding their thermal and morphological characteristics and molecular dynamic behavior. It was seen that cellulose addition did not promote significant changes in the Tm, Tc and Tcc in the matrix. On the other hand, XRD and TGA revealed that the addition of the highest content (7 wt%) of cellulose fillers resulted in a more significant decrease in crystallinity and thermal stability of the PLA/PHB matrix, suggesting a formation of filler aggregates. This indication was confirmed by TD-NMR, whose results pointed to a greater heterogeneity molecular in the samples containing higher cellulose contents. Therefore, this technique proved to be a relevant and complementary tool for the characterization of composites materials, contributing to determinate the most appropriate filler content introduced in a polymer matrix.

The goal of this work was to investigate the production and properties of hybrid materials based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA), employing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and organophilic silica (R972) as fillers. The composites were obtained by solution casting to form films. Each nanoparticle was incorporated at 3 wt. %, relative to the polymer matrix. In this experiment, four films were obtained (PLA, PLA/MCC, PLA/R972 and PLA/MCC/R972). The films properties were evaluated by X-ray diffractometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mechanical properties. The results showed that each nanoparticle, added individually or both combined, had different effect on the final properties of the films. Microcrystalline cellulose can act as nucleating agent for the crystallization of PLA. Silica promoted an increase in rigidity, due to the strong intermolecular forces, while MCC addition promoted an increase in the molecular mobility of the polymeric chains. The PLA/MCC/R972 film showed the highest crystallinity degree and tensile modulus. This film presented a T1H value between both values found for PLA/MCC and PLA/R972 films. The results indicated that silica R972 could promote a decrease of the surface tension between PLA and cellulose.