Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Polylactic Acid/Recycled Low Density Polyethylene/Nypa fruticans Biocomposites Compatibilized with Polyetylene-co-Acrylic Acid

2015 ◽  
Vol 754-755 ◽  
pp. 54-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Syahmie Rasidi ◽  
H. Salmah ◽  
Pei Leng Teh ◽  
Hanafi Ismail

The main purpose of incorporating Nypa Fruticans (NF) into Polylactic Acid (PLA)/Recycled Low Density Polyethylene (rLDPE) biocomposites is to decrease costs and change the properties. Polyethylene–co–acrylic acid (PEAA) was used as a compatibilizer. The effect of NF content and PEAA on the mechanical properties and morphology of the biocomposites were investigated. Results show that the effect of NF content increased Young’s modulus but decreased the tensile strength and elngation at break of PLA/rLDPE/NF biocomposites. It was found that incorporation of compatibilizer (PEAA) increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus but decreased the elongation at break of compatibilized biocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study of the tensile fracture surface of the biocomposites indicated that the presence of PEAA improved the interfacial interaction between Nypa Fruticans and LDPE matrix.

2015 ◽  
Vol 815 ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nik Ahmad Faris Nik Abdullah ◽  
Nik Noriman Zulkepli ◽  
Sam Sung Ting ◽  
Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah ◽  
Kamarudin Hussin ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of treated Cyperus Odoratus (CY) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on the properties of biodegradable plastics made from linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)/CY blends. Alkali treatments for natural fibers can increased adhesion between the hydrophilic fibers and hydrophobic matric. After CY was treated with 5% NaOH solution, it can be seen that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the LLDPE/CY blends significantly increased. Therefore, alkali treatments can be considered in modifying the properties of natural fibers.


2014 ◽  
Vol 803 ◽  
pp. 310-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.T. Sam ◽  
Nurul Hani ◽  
H. Ismail ◽  
Nik Noriman ◽  
S. Ragunathan

Natural fiber reinforced composites are increasingly being used in various applications area. Therefore, the processing method and physical properties of these composites are very important parameters in product quality and quaranty. This paper focused on the tensile properties, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and water absorption of cogon grass (CG) with low density polyethylene (LDPE)/soya spent flour (SSF) composites. The tensile strength and elongation at break (Eb) of uncompatibilized CG with LDPE/ SSF decreased significantly with increasing of fiber content. However, the Young’s modulus increased with increasing of CG loading. The presence of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 50) as a compatibilizer increased the tensile strength, Eband Young’s modulus of the composites when compared to uncompatibilized composites. Fourier transform infrared results show distinguishable peaks for compatibilized and uncompatibilized composites. The water absorption for both uncompatibilized and compatibilized composites increased from day 1 until day 21. The presence of ENR 50 as compatibilizer showed lower water absorption percentage compared to uncompatibilized composites.


2020 ◽  
pp. 096739112096844
Author(s):  
Sameer A Awad

The improvements of the thermal, mechanical, morphological properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/nanoclay (NC) composites were investigated. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with different NC contents 2 wt.% ( V f = 8%), 4 wt.% ( V f = 15), and 8 wt.% ( V f = 27) with a fixed particle size (300μm) were prepared by the melt mixing process. The thermal tests (thermal gravimetric analysis) were performed to monitor the thermal stability of LDPE composites. The mechanical tests such as tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and strain at break were studied. The results of the thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) display significant enhancement in thermal stability as the loading of NC increased in pure LDPE. The results showed that the NC fillers could effectively improve the mechanical properties of LDPE by comparison to pure LDPE, the tensile strength of LDPE/8 wt.% of NC are increasing by about 17% while Young’s modulus is increased by about 39%. From DMA results, the storage modulus is enhanced with increasing of NC loading into the LDPE matrix. The results of SEM photographs indicate that the incorporation 8 wt.% of NC displayed the best particles dispersion in the LDPE matrix.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2436
Author(s):  
Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed ◽  
Martina Meincken

Low-cost wood–plastic composites (WPCs) were developed from invasive trees and recycled low-density polyethylene. The aim was to produce affordable building materials for low-cost social housing in South Africa. Both raw materials are regarded as waste materials, and the subsequent product development adds value to the resources, while simultaneously reducing the waste stream. The production costs were minimised by utilising the entire biomass of Acacia saligna salvaged from clearing operations without any prior processing, and low-grade recycled low-density polyethylene to make WPCs without any additives. Different biomass/plastic ratios, particle sizes, and press settings were evaluated to determine the optimum processing parameters to obtain WPCs with adequate properties. The water absorption, dimensional stability, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, and tensile moduli were improved at longer press times and higher temperatures for all blending ratios. This has been attributed to the crystallisation of the lignocellulose and thermally induced cross-linking in the polyethylene. An increased biomass ratio and particle size were positively correlated with water absorption and thickness swelling and inversely related with MOR, tensile strength, and density due to an incomplete encapsulation of the biomass by the plastic matrix. This study demonstrates the feasibility of utilising low-grade recycled polyethylene and the whole-tree biomass of A. saligna, without the need for pre-processing and the addition of expensive modifiers, to produce WPCs with properties that satisfy the minimum requirements for interior cladding or ceiling material.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-49
Author(s):  
Ibiyemi A. Idowu ◽  
Olutosin O. Ilori

The study examined the effect of fillers on the mechanical properties of the recycled low density polyethylene composites under weathered condition with a view of managing the generation and disposal of plastic wastes. Discarded pure water sachets and fillers (glass and talc) were sourced and recycled. Recycled low density polyethylene (RLDPE) and preparation of RLDPE/glass, RLDPE/talc and RLDPE/glass/talc composites were carried out using a furnace at compositions of 0 – 40% in steps of 10% by weight. The mixtures were poured into hand-laid mould. The samples produced were exposed to sunlight for eight (8) weeks and their mechanical properties were studied. The results of mechanical tests revealed that tensile strength decreased with increasing filler loading while impact strength and hardness property increased marginally and considerably with increasing filler loading for all the composites respectively. The study concluded that glass and talc were able to reinforce recycled low density polyethylene under weathered condition. Keywords: Recycled Low Density Polyethylene (RLDPE); Fillers; Glass, Talc; Weathering condition; Sunlight; and Mechanical properties; Tensile strength, Impact and hardness


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Delgado-Aguilar ◽  
Rita Puig ◽  
Ilija Sazdovski ◽  
Pere Fullana-i-Palmer

Circular economy comes to break the linear resource to waste economy, by introducing different strategies, two of them being: using material from renewable sources and producing biodegradable products. The present work aims at developing polylactic acid (PLA), typically made from fermented plant starch, and polycaprolactone (PCL) blends, a biodegradable polyester, to study their potential to be used as substitutes of oil-based commodity plastics. For this, PLA/PCL blends were compounded in a batch and lab scale internal mixer and processed by means of injection molding. Tensile and impact characteristics were determined and compared to different thermoplastic materials, such as polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polystyrene, and others. It has been found that the incorporation of PCL into a PLA matrix can lead to materials in the range of 18.25 to 63.13 megapascals of tensile strength, 0.56 to 3.82 gigapascals of Young’s modulus, 12.65 to 3.27 percent of strain at maximum strength, and 35 to 2 kJ/m2 of notched impact strength. The evolution of the tensile strength fitted the Voigt and Reuss model, while Young’s modulus was successfully described by the rule of mixtures. Toughness of PLA was significantly improved with the incorporation of PCL, significantly increasing the energy required to fracture the specimens. Blends containing more than 20 wt% of PCL did not break when unnotched specimens were tested. Overall, it was found that the obtained PLA/PCL blends can constitute a strong and environmentally friendly alternative to oil-based commodity materials.


Author(s):  
Catalin Fetecau ◽  
Felicia Stan ◽  
Daniel Dobrea ◽  
Dan Catalin Birsan

In this paper, we investigated the effect of injection molding parameters such as melt temperature, mold temperature, injection speed and holding pressure on the mechanical properties of low density polyethylene reinforced with 2.5 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The Taguchi methodology with four factors and two levels was used for the design of the injection molding experiments. The mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile tests in the flow direction at room temperature (23 °C) at crosshead speeds of 1 and 5 mm/min. It was found that the mechanical properties can be modified by manipulating the injection molding parameters. The Young’s modulus of the LDPE-MWNTs composite decreased as the melt temperature increased, while mold temperature, injection molding speed and holding pressure have a moderate influence on the Young’s modulus.


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