Abstract
The demand for biodegradable packaging materials as substitutes for plastics encourages current research. Woven jute fabric has been selected for its easy supply, cheap price, renewability, and biodegradability. But it shows limited barrier performance against moisture and heat. Researchers attempted different processes like surface alteration, chemical treatments, polymer impregnation, lamination coating, composite making, etc. to upgrade the fabric performance. In this study, a biodegradable natural polymer, latex was used for lamination onto woven jute fabric to fabricate a jute-latex laminated composite (JLLC). Latex solutions with varying concentrations were prepared, cast into films, and finally laminated using polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) onto woven jute fabric. Standard and customized testing procedures were followed to assess various features of developed JLLCs. Microscopic analysis displayed uniform film formation at lower latex concentrations, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra confirmed the presence of characteristic functional groups of all components of JLLC. Tensile testing revealed a 42% improvement in breaking load (712 N) over control jute fabric (CJF) for the lowest latex percentage. Remarkable enhancement in tenacity (41.2 cN/tex, 24% form CJF) and initial modulus (0.546 GPa, ∼ 1.5 times of CJF) were also reported. Moisture management analysis addressed a 313 percentage-point reduction in one-way transport index (OWTI), which felt to -75% with higher latex concentration, and water contact angle measurements (maximum ∼98°) indicated enhanced surface hydrophobicity with increasing latex content. Thermal characterization illustrated an excellent radiant heat barrier and improved thermal resistance with a low heat conductivity (0.0204 W·m
-1
·K
-1
, 58.8% lower than of CJF).