IMPROVED BIOCOMPOSITE MATERIAL

摘要

A biocomposite material (1) and methods of production thereof are described. The biocomposite material (1) exhibits a physical stiffness, strength and toughness comparable to known glass fibre composites while its composition makes it inherently impermeable to water. A general formulation for the biocomposite material (1) is given by the expression: Cel_(1-x-y) HPI_x HPO_y where "Cel" represents cellulose fragments (2), "HPI" represents hydrophilic binders (4), "HPO" represents hydrophobic binders (5) and (x) and (y) quantify the percentage by weight of the hydrophilic (4) and hydrophobic binders (5) present within a material, respectively. The described properties of the biocomposite material (1) are achieved when (x) is within the range of from 0.05 to 0.55 and (y) is within the range of from 0.05 to 0.65.