INVESTIGATION ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF POLYLACTIC ACID/POLYCAPROLACTONE LOADED WITH HALLOYSITE NANOTUBES AND BASALT FIBER

Author(s):  
A. ARUL JEYA KUMAR ◽  
NIRANJAN S. RAJ ◽  
C. SAIPRASAD ◽  
AGHALAYAM R. SUDHANVA

This paper is focused on the analysis of the morphological and thermal properties of the biomedical composites, polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix, reinforced with basalt fibers (BFs) and using halloysite nanotubes (HNT) as filler material. Four different composites, viz. PPHB 1, PPHB 2, PPHB 3 and PPHB 4, are obtained by varying the weight fractions of these materials using twin-screw extrusion followed by injection molding. The morphological characterization is performed on these composites using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. SEM reveals homogenous and strong bonding between the matrix, reinforcement and filler. The BF are well embedded in the matrix with a random orientation. No formation of voids and cracks is observed. The functional groups present and the types of vibration experienced by the chemical bonds were observed in the FTIR spectra. The composites are subjected to thermal testing such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The PPHB 2, which contains 80% PLA, 10% BF, 7% PCL and 3% HNT, has the highest degree of crystallinity, as revealed by DSC, and exhibits the most optimum thermal degradation characteristics as indicated by TGA.

BioResources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 4774-4791

Waste from the processing of hardwood and coniferous wood generated in the timber industries is difficult to dispose of and can cause considerable environmental impacts, such as soil and groundwater contamination. In this context, composites with varying concentrations of polypropylene, maleated polypropylene, and particulate Eucalyptus and Pinus waste were produced in a twin screw extruder and injection molded as test bodies for tensile and flexural tests. The morphology of the composites was investigated via scanning electron microscopy. The thermal properties were identified through differential scanning calorimetry. The tensile and flexural results for the two waste formulations indicated that the addition of vegetable fillers increased the modulus of elasticity and bending, and the compatibilizer provided increased resistance to stress and maximum deflection. The scanning electron micrographs illustrated the wetting of the cellulosic charge by the thermoplastic polymer with the compatibilizer, which corroborated the possible occurrence of an esterification reaction and hydrogen bonding interactions in the matrix-particle interface. The incorporation of waste in the composite resulted in the reduction of the degree of crystallinity of polypropylene, regardless of the use of the compatibilizer. This was explained by the barrier capacity of the charge, which prevented the growth of the crystals.


2019 ◽  
pp. 089270571987822
Author(s):  
Saud Aldajah ◽  
Mohammad Y Al-Haik ◽  
Waseem Siddique ◽  
Mohammad M Kabir ◽  
Yousef Haik

This study reveals the enhancement of mechanical and thermal properties of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP- g-MA) with the addition of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). A nanocomposite was manufactured by blending various percentages of PP, MA, and NCC nanoparticles by means of a twin-screw extruder. The influence of varying the percentages of NCC on the mechanical and thermal behavior of the nanocomposite was studied by performing three-point bending, nanoindentation, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy tests. The novelty of this study stems on the NCC nanoparticles and their ability to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of PP. Three-point bending and nanoindentation tests revealed improvement in the mechanical properties in terms of strength, modulus, and hardness of the PP- g-MA nanocomposites as the addition of NCC increased. SEM showed homogeneity between the mixtures which proved the presence of interfacial adhesion between the PP- g-MA incorporated with NCC nanoparticles that was confirmed by the FTIR results. DSC and TGA measurements showed that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was not compromised due to the addition of the coupling agent and reinforced nanoparticles.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 376
Author(s):  
Su-Mei Huang ◽  
Jiunn-Jer Hwang ◽  
Hsin-Jiant Liu ◽  
An-Miao Zheng

In this study, the montmorillonite (MMT) clay was modified with NH4Cl, and then the structures were exfoliated or intercalated in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix by a torque rheometer in the ratio of 0.5, 3.0, 5.0 and 8.0 wt%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the organic modified-MMT(OMMT) was distributed successfully in the PLA matrix. After thermal pressing, the thermal stability of the mixed composites was measured by a TGA. The mixed composites were also blended with OMMT by a co-rotating twin screw extruder palletizing system, and then injected for the ASTM-D638 standard specimen by an injection machine for measuring the material strength by MTS. The experimental results showed that the mixture of organophilic clay and PLA would enhance the thermal stability. In the PLA mixed with 3 wt% OMMT nanocomposite, the TGA maximum decomposition temperature (Tmax) rose from 336.84 °C to 339.08 °C. In the PLA mixed with 5 wt% OMMT nanocomposite, the loss of temperature rose from 325.14 °C to 326.48 °C. In addition, the elongation rate increased from 4.46% to 10.19% with the maximum loading of 58 MPa. After the vibrating hydrolysis process, the PLA/OMMT nanocomposite was degraded through the measurement of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and its Tg, Tc, and Tm1 declined.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emi Govorčin Bajsić ◽  
Vesna Rek ◽  
Ivana Ćosić

The effect of the addition of talc on the morphology and thermal properties of blends of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polypropylene (PP) was investigated. The blends of TPU and PP are incompatible because of large differences in polarities between the nonpolar crystalline PP and polar TPU and high interfacial tensions. The interaction between TPU and PP can be improved by using talc as reinforcing filler. The morphology was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties of the neat polymers and unfilled and talc filled TPU/PP blends were studied by using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The addition of talc in TPU/PP blends improved miscibility in all investigated TPU/T/PP blends. The DSC results for talc filled TPU/PP blends show that the degree of crystallinity increased, which is due to the nucleating effect induced by talc particles. The reason for the increased storage modulus of blends with the incorporation of talc is due to the improved interface between polymers and filler. According to TGA results, the addition of talc enhanced thermal stability. The homogeneity of the talc filled TPU/PP blends is better than unfilled TPU/PP blends.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrycja Bazan ◽  
Stanisław Kuciel ◽  
Mariola Sądej

The work has evaluated the possibility of the potential reinforcing of poly(oxymethylene) (POM) by basalt fibers (BFs) and influence of BFs addition on thermal properties. Two types of composites were produced by injection molding. There were 20 and 40 wt% long BFs content with an average length of 1 mm. The samples were made without using a compatibilizer. In the experimental part, the basic mechanical properties (tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, strain at break, flexural modulus, flexural strength, and deflection at 3.5% strain) of composites based on POM were determined. Tensile properties were also evaluated at three temperatures −20°C, 20°C, and 80°C. The density and Charpy impact of the produced composites were also examined. The influence of water absorption on mechanical properties was investigated. Thermal properties were conducted by the differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, and fourier transform infrared (FTIR)-attenuation total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy analysis. In order to make reference to the effects of reinforcement and determine the structure characteristics, scanning electron microscopy images were taken. The addition of 20 and 40 wt% by weight of fibers increases the strength and the stiffness of such composites by more than 30–70% in the range scale of temperature. Manufactured composites show higher thermal and dimensional stability in relation to neat POM.


2008 ◽  
Vol 47-50 ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
C. Rosales ◽  
V. Contreras ◽  
M. Matos ◽  
R. Perera ◽  
N. Villarreal ◽  
...  

Polypropylene/polyamide-6 and polypropylene/metallocene polyethylene blends containing 2.5 phr of organophilic modified montmorillonite were prepared in a twin-screw extruder followed by injection molding. In order to compare, blends without layered clay were also made. Styreneethylene- butylene-styrene copolymer and polypropylene grafted with anhydride maleic were used as compatibilizers in the ternary blends and in the PP nanocomposite preparation, respectively. The presence of tactoids, intercalated and exfoliated structures was observed by TEM in some of the samples containing layered clay and modified PP materials. Results showed that the compatibilized blends prepared without clay are tougher than those prepared with the nanocomposite of PP as the matrix phase and no significant changes in tensile moduli were observed between them. However, the binary blend with a nanocomposite of PP as matrix and metallocene polyethylene exhibited better tensile toughness and lower tensile modulus, than those prepared with a nanocomposite of PP and polyamide-6 as dispersed phase. These results are related to the degree of clay dispersion in the PP and to the type of morphology developed in the different blends. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that blends with a finer and homogeneously dispersed morphology determined by SEM, the PA component exhibited fractionated crystallization exotherms in the temperature range of 159-185°C. Also, nucleation of the PP component by PA phase and/or the layered clay was observed in the blends with PA as dispersed phase.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre L. Pereira ◽  
Mariana D. Banea ◽  
Jorge S.S. Neto ◽  
Daniel K.K. Cavalcanti

The main objective of this work was to investigate the effect of hybridization on the mechanical and thermal properties of intralaminar natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites based on sisal. Ramie, sisal and curauá fibers were selected as natural fiber reinforcements for the epoxy matrix based composites, which were produced by the hand lay-up technique. Tensile, flexural and impact tests were carried out according to American society for testing and materials (ASTM) standards to characterize the hybrid composites, while differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to evaluate the thermal properties. It was found that the mechanical properties are improved by hybridization of sisal based composites. The thermal analysis showed that the hybridization did not significantly affect the thermal stability of the composites. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the fracture surface of the tested specimens. The SEM images showed a brittle fracture of the matrix and fiber breakage near the matrix.


2014 ◽  
Vol 879 ◽  
pp. 206-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sivanesan Appadu ◽  
Sahrim Hj. Ahmad ◽  
Chantara Thevy Ratnam ◽  
Meor Yahaya Razali ◽  
Moayad Husein Flaifel ◽  
...  

The effect of electron beam (EB) irradiation at different doses on the magnetic, microstructure, morphological and thermal properties of NiFe2O4/Thermoplastic Natural Rubber (TPNR) nanocomposite was investigated. The NiFe2O4/TPNR nanocomposite samples were prepared by using a Haake mixer in weight ratio of 12:88. The TPNR matrix consists of natural rubber (NR), liquid natural rubber (LNR) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) in weight ratio of 20:10:70. The samples were irradiated using a 2 MeV EB machine in doses from 0 - 200 kGy. Magnetic properties studied by using the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature showed that the values of saturation magnetization (MS), remanence magnetization (MR) and the coercivity (HC) value increased with increasing doses of irradiation. The increase in MSand MRvalues is attributed to the increase in concentration of Fe3+ions at octahedral B-site and decrease of concentration at the tetrahedral A-site in the NiFe2O4cubic structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the samples showed that peak intensities decreased and the width of the peaks increased with increasing doses of irradiation. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the nanocomposite cross section showed the presence of defects which is more visible with increasing doses of irradiation. In the case of thermal properties, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that the crystallization temperature (Tc) and the degree of crystallinity (Xc) of the nanocomposite samples decreased with increasing doses of irradiation due to crosslinking of polymeric chains which hinders the growth of crystals.


2013 ◽  
Vol 748 ◽  
pp. 201-205
Author(s):  
Abd Aziz Noor Zuhaira ◽  
Rahmah Mohamed

In this research, rice husk and kenaf fiber were compounded with calcium carbonate (CaCO3)/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composite.Different loadings of up to 30 parts of 50 mesh sizes of rice husk particulate and kenaf fiber were compounded using twin-screw extruder with fixed 30 parts of CaCO3 fillerto produce hybrid composites of rice husk/CaCO3/HDPE and kenaf/CaCO3/HDPE.Compounded hybrid composites were prepared and tested for thermal properties. The thermal stability of the components was examined by thermogravimetricanalysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC). The DSC results showed a slightly changes in melting temperature (Tm), crystallization temperature (Tc) and the degree of crystallinity (Xc) with addition of natural fiber. TGA indicates thermal stability of hybrid composite filled with kenaf or rice husk is better than unfilledCaCO3/HDPE composite.


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