A Preliminary Study on Tensile Properties of Gellan Gum/KCF Biocomposite Films

In this preliminary study, kenaf core fiber (KCF) was utilized as a natural filler for the preparation of the gellan gum/KCF biocomposite films. The films were prepared by casting gellan gum solutions containing glycerol and KCF, followed by gelation and drying. The weight ratio of gellan gum and glycerol was fixed at 2:3, while the content of KCF varied from 6 to 15 wt.% relative to the weight of gellan gum. The tensile properties of the prepared films have been determined by using a universal testing machine. The tensile test results demonstrated that the tensile extension and tensile energy at break of the biocomposite films have significantly increased with the incorporation of KCF. Nevertheless, the tensile stress and tensile modulus at maximum load have drastically decreased with the increase of KCF content. This study implied that the incorporation of KCF had enhanced the ductility of the gellan gum/KCF biocomposite films and at the same time, reduced the stiffness of the films.