Enhanced Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Modified Oil Palm Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composite via Multi-Objective Optimization of In Situ Silica Sol-Gel Synthesis

A multi-objective optimization of in situ sol-gel process was conducted in preparing oil palm fiber-reinforced polypropylene (OPF-PP) composite for an enhancement of mechanical and thermal properties. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and butylamine were used as precursors and catalysts for the sol-gel process. The face-centered central composite design (FCCD) experiments coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) has been utilized to optimize in situ silica sol-gel process. The optimization process showed that the drying time after the in-situ silica sol-gel process was the most influential factor on silica content, while the molar ratio of TEOS to water gave the most significant effect on silica residue. The maximum silica content of 34.1% and the silica residue of 35.9% were achieved under optimum conditions of 21.3 h soaking time, 50 min drying time, pH value of 9.26, and 1:4 molar ratio of TEOS to water. The untreated oil palm fiber (OPF) and silica sol-gel modified OPF (SiO2-OPF) were used as the reinforcing fibers, with PP as a matrix and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAgPP) as a compatibilizer for the fiber-reinforced PP matrix (SiO2-OPF-PP-MAgPP) composites preparation. The mechanical and thermal properties of OPF-PP, SiO2-OPF-PP, SiO2-OPF-PP-MAgPP composites, and pure PP were determined. It was found that the OPF-S-PP-MAgPP composite had the highest toughness and stiffness with values of tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elongation at break of 30.9 MPa, 881.8 MPa, and 15.1%, respectively. The thermal properties analyses revealed that the OPF-S-PP-MAgPP exhibited the highest thermally stable inflection point at 477 °C as compared to pure PP and other composites formulations. The finding of the present study showed that the SiO2-OPF had the potential to use as a reinforcing agent to enhance the thermal-mechanical properties of the composites.

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A comparative evaluation of chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties of oil palm fiber/pineapple fiber reinforced phenolic hybrid composites

Polymer Composites ◽

10.1002/pc.26305 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Jawaid ◽

Sameer A. Awad ◽

Mohammad Asim ◽

Hassan Fouad ◽

Othman Y. Alothman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Properties ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Comparative Evaluation ◽

Hybrid Composites ◽

Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽

Fiber Reinforced ◽

Palm Fiber

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3C-SiC Nanowires In-Situ Modified Carbon/Carbon Composites and Their Effect on Mechanical and Thermal Properties

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano8110894 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 894 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hongjiao Lin ◽

Hejun Li ◽

Qingliang Shen ◽

Xiaohong Shi ◽

Tao Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shear Strength ◽

Thermal Properties ◽

Sol Gel ◽

Interlaminar Shear Strength ◽

Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽

Initial Oxidation ◽

Sic Nanowires ◽

Out Of Plane ◽

Interlaminar Shear

An in-situ, catalyst-free method for synthesizing 3C-SiC ceramic nanowires (SiCNWs) inside carbon–carbon (C/C) composites was successfully achieved. Obtained samples in different stages were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman scattering spectroscopy. Results demonstrated that the combination of sol-gel impregnation and carbothermal reduction was an efficient method for in-situ SiCNW synthesis, inside C/C composites. Thermal properties and mechanical behaviors—including out-of-plane and in-plane compressive strengths, as well as interlaminar shear strength (ILLS) of SiCNW modified C/C composites—were investigated. By introducing SiCNWs, the initial oxidation temperature of C/C was increased remarkably. Meanwhile, out-of-plane and in-plane compressive strengths, as well as interlaminar shear strength (ILLS) of C/C composites were increased by 249.3%, 109.2%, and 190.0%, respectively. This significant improvement resulted from simultaneous reinforcement between the fiber/matrix (F/M) and matrix/matrix (M/M) interfaces, based on analysis of the fracture mechanism.

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