In this study, a synergistic treatment including dopamine (DA) modification and alkali pretreatment on bamboo fiber (BF) was used as reinforcement in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of BF/PLA composites. The effects of the sodium hydroxide loading rate on the performance of mussel-inspired dopamine-modified bamboo fiber and the BF/PLA composites were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), mechanical testing (examining flexural, tensile, and impact properties), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Analysis of the composites suggested that the optimal condition was treatment with a 4 wt % solution of NaOH and a 1 wt % concentration of dopamine. Compared with the untreated bamboo fiber/polylactic acid composites, the synergistic treatment improved the thermal properties and mechanical properties; flexural, tensile, and impact strengths increased by 16.1%, 34.4%, and 3.7%, respectively. It was further verified that appropriate alkali treatment was a promising approach in promoting the effect of dopamine-modified coating while maintaining the crystal structure of the cellulose.

A new and eco-friendly mussel-inspired surface modification pathway for bamboo fiber (BF) is presented in this study. The self-assembly polydopamine (PDA) coating can firmly adhere on BF surface, which also serves as a bridge to graft octadecylamine (ODA) for hydrophobic surface preparation. The as-formed PDA/ODA hybrid layer could supply abundant hydrophobic long-chain alkyls groups and generated a marked increase in BF surface roughness and a marked decrease in surface free energy. These changes provided advantages to improve fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion and wettability. Consequently, high performance was achieved by incorporating the hybrid modified BF into the polybutylene succinate (PBS) matrix. The resultant composite exhibited excellent mechanical properties, particularly tensile strength, which markedly increased by 77.2%. Meanwhile, considerable high water resistance with an absorption rate as low as 5.63% was also achieved. The gratifying macro-performance was primarily attributed to the excellent interfacial adhesion attained by hydrogen bonding and physical intertwining between the PDA/ODA coating on the BF and the PBS matrix, which was further determined by fracture morphology observations and dynamic mechanical analysis. Owing to the superior adhesive capacity of PDA, this mussel-inspired surface modification method may result in wide-ranging applications in polymer composites and be adapted to all natural fibers.

A bio-inspired approach to coating polydopamine (PDA) onto bamboo fiber (BF) was developed to enhance the poor interfacial bonding of BF/polybutylene succinate (PBS) biocomposites. The macroscopic features, functional groups, nanoscale topography, and crystallinity of the PDA-coated BF (D-BF) were investigated with digital photography, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The effects of the PDA loading rate on the performance of the D-BF/PBS biocomposites were also evaluated through the mechanical properties tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Treating BF with an optimum concentration of dopamine (DOPA) decreased the polarity of the bamboo fiber, while maintaining the crystal structure of the cellulose. The thermal stability, mechanical properties, and storage modulus of the D-BF/PBS biocomposites were noticeably enhanced because of the good interfacial compatibility. Moreover, the glass transition temperature (Tg) and crystallinity of the biocomposites increased with higher DOPA loading rates. The best properties were observed with a DOPA concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. These findings exhibited the feasibility for the application of PDA in the biomass fiber-reinforced biodegradable polymer composites industry.