Analysis of thermal decomposition kinetics of chicken feather fiber reinforced Poly-lactic acid composites filament

Derivative Thermogravimetric analysis under air was used to observe the thermal decomposition process of Chicken feather fiber (CFF) reinforced Poly-lactic acid (PLA) composite filament of 2.2 mm diameter. The thermal degradation of the sample was initiated at 140 ֯C. Approximately 75 % of the thermal degradation occurred between the temperature of 357 ֯C and 399 ֯C. The composite's activation energy was established using the Coats-Redfern method. The results showed that the activation energy of 112.06 kJ/mol is utilized for the sample throughout the temperature range of 23 ֯C to 398 ֯C. A low activation energy is indicative of rapid chemical reactions between the CFF and PLA molecules. The results from TGA and DTGA indicate that the addition of CFF in the PLA matrix enhanced the thermal stability.