Thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of maleated polypropylene compatibilizedBorassusfruit fiber/polypropylene composites

Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites became more attractive due to their light weight, high specific strength, biodegradability. However, some limitations e.g. low modulus, poor moisture resistance were reported. The mechanical properties of natural fiber reinforced composites can be improved by hybridization with synthetic fibers such as glass fiber. In this research, mechanical properties of short sisal-PP composites and short sisal/glass fiber hybrid composites were studied. Polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) was used as a compatibilizer to enhance the compatibility between the fibers and polypropylene. Effect of weight ratio of sisal and glass fiber at 30 % by weight on the mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. Morphology of fracture surface of each composite was also observed.

Download Full-text

High-Yield Lignocellulosic Fibers from Date Palm Biomass as Reinforcement in Polypropylene Composites: Effect of Fiber Treatment on Composite Properties

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12061423 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 1423

Author(s):

Chihaoui Belgacem ◽

Quim Tarres ◽

Francesc Xavier Espinach ◽

Pere Mutjé ◽

Sami Boufi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Date Palm ◽

Surface Composition ◽

Alkali Treatment ◽

Enzymatic Treatment ◽

High Yield ◽

Intrinsic Resistance ◽

Chemical Surface ◽

Polypropylene Composites ◽

Maleated Polypropylene ◽

Date Palm Fibers

In this work, date palm waste (DPW) stemming from the annual pruning of date palm was used as reinforcing filler in polypropylene (PP) matrix at 40% w/w. Three pre-treatment routes were performed for the DPW, namely (i) defibration, (ii) soft alkali treatment, and (iii) enzymatic treatment, to obtain date palm fibers (DPF) and to investigate the effect of each process on their chemical composition, which will ultimately affect the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. The enzymatic and alkali treatment, combined with maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent, resulted in a composite with higher strength and stiffness than the neat PP. The differences in the reinforcing effect were explained by the change in the morphology of DPF and their chemical surface composition according to the selected treatment of DPW. Enzymatic treatment maximized the tensile strength of the compound as a consequence of an improvement in the interfacial shear strength and the intrinsic resistance of the fibers.

Download Full-text

Millettia pinnata: a study on the extraction of fibers and reinforced composites

Bioresources and Bioprocessing ◽

10.1186/s40643-019-0292-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

P. B. Mohankumara ◽

Shraddha Prashant Thakare ◽

Vijaykumar Guna ◽

G. R. Arpitha

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stability ◽

Tensile Strength ◽

Natural Fiber ◽

Natural Fibers ◽

Compositional Analysis ◽

Morphological Properties ◽

Reinforced Composites ◽

Polypropylene Composites ◽

Wide Range ◽

Millettia Pinnata

AbstractIn this work, the potential for using Millettia pinnata stalk for extracting cellulosic natural fibers and its subsequent use in reinforced composites was studied. The extracted fibers were characterized for its composition, mechanical, thermal stability and morphological properties. Compositional analysis showed that the fibers possessed 54% cellulose, 12% hemicellulose, 15% lignin and 11% ash. The tensile strength of the fiber was 310 MPa, which is comparable to cotton and linen. The tensile strength of the M. pinnata fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites was 17.96 MPa which was similar to other natural fiber-based composites. M. pinnata fibers appear promising for a wide range of applications including textiles and other typical composites applications.

Download Full-text