Effect of agave fiber surface treatment on the properties of polyethylene composites produced by dry‐blending and compression molding

In this work, the effect of natural fiber surface treatment with maleated polyethylene (MAPE) is presented to improve the mechanical properties of natural fiber composites (NFC). In particular, a simple dry blending technique was used to disperse natural fibers (agave) in a polymer matrix (linear low density polyethylene) and produce samples via compression molding. The effect of fiber content was also studied (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt%) and the samples were characterized in terms of morphology, density, hardness, as well as mechanical (tensile, flexion, and impact) and thermal (DSC and TGA) properties. The results show that the simple dry‐blending method is efficient to produce homogeneous NFC and that surface treatment can substantially improve composite modulus (164%) and strength (121%). POLYM. COMPOS., 38:96–104, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synergistic compatibilization and reinforcement of HDPE/wood flour composites

Multi‐monomer grafted copolymers, high‐density polyethylene‐grafted‐maleic anhydride‐styrene (HDPE‐g‐(MAH‐St)) and polyethylene wax‐grafted‐ maleic anhydride ((PE wax)‐g‐MAH), were synthesized and applied to prepare high‐performance high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood flour (WF) composites. Interfacial synergistic compatibilization was studied via the coordinated blending of high‐density polyethylene‐grafted‐maleic anhydride (MPE‐St) and polyethylene wax‐grafted‐ maleic anhydride (MPW) in the high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood flour (WF) composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphology and three‐dimensional WF sketch presented that strong interactive interface between HDPE and WF, formed by MPE‐St with high graft degree of maleic anhydride (MAH) together with the permeating effect of MPW with a low molecular weight. Experimental results demonstrated that HDPE/WF composites compatibilized by MPE‐St/MPW compounds showed significant improvement in mechanical properties, rheological properties, and water resistance than those compatibilized by MPE, MPE‐St or MPW separately and the uncompatibilized composites. The mass ratio of MPE‐St/MPW for optimizing the HDPE/WF composites was 5:1. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42958.     

Effects of some PVC‐grafted maleic anhydrides (PVC‐g‐MAs) on the morphology,and the mechanical and thermal properties of (alfa fiber)‐reinforced PVC composites

This work studied the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) chemically modified with maleic anhydride (MA) through reactions in solution, using benzoyl peroxide as an initiator. Quantities of the grafted MA were determined by the titration of carboxylic acid groups derived from the anhydride functions. Estimation of the grafted MA level was also performed by using IR absorbance ratio. Increases in reaction time led to higher levels of grafted MA. The effects of three different PVCs grafted with maleic anhydride (PVC‐g‐MAs) types on the morphological, mechanical, and thermal properties of PVC/alfa (fiber) composites were examined. The interfacial properties between fiber and PVC were improved after the addition of PVC‐g‐MA, as was evident from SEM morphology study. Enhancements of the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the PVC‐g‐MA‐treated composites were strongly dependent on the amount of MA grafts. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 19:225–232, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Modification of the polarity and adhesive properties of polyolefins through blending with maleic anhydride grafted Fischer–Tropsch paraffin wax

The modification of the polarity and adhesive properties of linear low‐density polyethylene, low‐density polyethylene, and isotactic polypropylene through blending with paraffin wax (Fischer–Tropsch synthesis), grafted by maleic anhydride, was investigated. Maleic anhydride grafted paraffin wax significantly increased the polar component of the total surface free energy of polyolefins. Modified polyolefins also had significantly higher adhesion to the polar substrate, a crosslinked, epoxy‐based resin. The conservation of the good mechanical properties of the blends was observed up to 10 wt % wax, except for isotactic polypropylene blends, for which there was a reduction in the stress and strain at break at wax concentrations higher than 5%. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 3069–3074, 2006     

马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯纤维的结构和性能研究

采用熔融纺丝法制备了马来酸酐(MAH)接枝聚丙烯纤维,考察了接枝纤维的力学性能和吸湿率以及马来酸酐的残留量。结果表明,马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯纤维的断裂强度比纯聚丙烯纤维的低,接枝率越高强度越低,断裂伸长率则相反;随着接枝率的增加,纤维的取向度也逐渐升高。与聚丙烯纤维相比,接枝聚丙烯纤维的吸湿率有了明显提高,在相同拉伸倍数下提高了3-5倍;MAH残留量相当于接枝率(0.73％)的3.7％,表明主要是接枝的马来酸酐改变了聚丙烯纤维的性质。     

Synthesis and characterization of high‐density polypropylene‐grafted polyethylene via a macromolecular reaction and its rheological behavior

High‐density polyethylene grafted isotactic polypropylene (PP‐g‐HDPE) was prepared by the imidization reaction between maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene and amine‐grafted polypropylene in a xylene solution. The branch density was adjusted by changes in the molar ratio between maleic anhydride and primary amine groups. Dynamic rheology tests were conducted to compare the rheological properties of linear polyolefins and long‐chain‐branched polyolefins. The effects of the density of long‐chain branches on the rheological properties were also investigated. It was found that long‐chain‐branched hybrid polyolefins had a higher storage modulus at a low frequency, a higher zero shear viscosity, a reduced phase angle, enhanced shear sensitivities, and a longer relaxation time. As the branch density was increased, the characteristics of the long‐chain‐branched structure became profounder. The flow activation energy of PP‐g‐HDPE was lower than that of neat maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MAH) because of the lower flow activation energy of maleic anhydride grafted high‐density polyethylene (HDPE‐g‐MAH). However, the flow activation energy of PP‐g‐HDPE was higher than that of PP‐g‐MAH/HDPE‐g‐MAH blends because of the presence of long‐chain branches. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Effect of coupling agent content and water absorption on the mechanical properties of coir‐agave fibers reinforced polyethylene hybrid composites

In this study, high‐density polyethylene/agave‐coir composites with two fiber contents (20 and 30 wt%) and different coir‐agave fiber ratios (1–0, 0.8–0.2, 0.6–0.4, 0.4–0.6, 0.2–0.8, and 0–1) were produced in a two‐step process using twin‐screw extrusion followed by injection molding. The effect of mixing two different natural fibers and the addition of coupling agent on water absorption, mechanical properties, and morphology is reported. The rule of hybrid mixture was used to predict the properties of the composites, showing a good agreement with the experimental data. The results obtained showed that the combination of different fibers produces composites with unique characteristics as coir fibers absorb less water than agave fibers, while at the same time increase more tensile and flexural strengths. On the other hand, agave fibers were found to improve the impact strength of coir composites. Also, the effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties was studied. Finally, the use of a coupling agent had a positive effect on mechanical properties, while lowering water uptake. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:3015–3024, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

MAH-g-LLDPE增容改性rPET/mLLDPE合金材料的研究

以马来酸酐接枝线性低密度聚乙烯(MAH-g-LLDPE)为相容剂,回收聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(rPET)为基体材料,茂金属线性低密度聚乙烯(mLLDPE)为增韧材料,制备rPET/mLLDPE塑料合金材料。采用DSC、SEM分析MAH-g-LLDPE对rPET/mLLDPE结晶性能及断面相结构的影响,测试了rPET/mLLDPE材料的流变性能及力学性能。结果表明,mLLDPE的加入使得rPET/mLLDPE熔体结晶峰向右移动,结晶温度提高;MAH-g-LLDPE的加入,共混体系中rPET的玻璃化转变温度(tg)朝低温方向移动,rPET与mLLDPE相容性增强,相界面模糊,界面黏结力强,熔融塑化过程扭矩值增大。含5%MAH-g-LLDPE的rPET/mLLDPE材料,与纯rPET相比,其结晶温度(tc)提高24.73℃,断裂伸长率提高113.6%,缺口冲击强度提高66.48%,柔韧性和抗冲击性能较大幅度提高。     

Effect of glass fiber on the electrical resistivities of polyoxymethylene/maleic anhydride‐grafted polyethylene/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites

The effect of glass fiber (GF) on the electrical resistivities of polyoxymethylene (POM)/maleic anhydride‐grafted polyethylene (MAPE)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites is investigated. The POM/MAPE/MWCNT composites at a MWCNT loading of 0.75% are nonconductive because most of MWCNTs are isolated in the MAPE islands, and their electrical resistivities decrease significantly after the addition of GF because of the formation of MAPE‐coated GF structure, which facilitates the formation of conductive paths and was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The formation of MAPE‐coated GF structure is attributed to the interaction between GF and MAPE during melt compounding, as contrasted by the uncoated GF using high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) instead of MAPE. Nonconductive POM/5–20% MAPE/0.75% MWCNT composites become conductive upon the addition of 20% GF. This preparation method for conductive materials can be generalized to POM/5–20% maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (MAPP)/0.75% MWCNT composites. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41794.     

高密度聚乙烯／蒙脱土纳米复合材料的制备与性能研究

采用马来酸酐接枝乙烯醋酸乙烯酯（EVA-g-MAH）和马来酸酐接枝低密度聚乙烯（PE-LD-g-MAH）为相容剂，制备了高密度聚乙烯傣脱土（PE-HD／MMT）纳米复合材料。用X射线衍射和扫描电镜对有机蒙脱土和PE-HD／MMT复合材料的结构进行了表征，研究了蒙脱土和相容剂含量对制备的纳米复合材料力学性能及热性能的影响。结果表明，相容剂的加入有利于插层。MMT在复合材料中呈纳米级分散。其层间距可由2．10nm增大至3．85nm。MMT含量为3％（质量分数，下同）、EVA-g-MAH含量为15％时，复合材料的综合力学性能最好，冲击强度和拉伸强度分别较PE-HD提高43．7％和5.8％。     

Comparative study on the effect of manchurian ash and larch wood flour on mechanical property,morphology, and rheology of HDPE/wood flour composites

Effects of wood flour species and polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (MA‐PE) on mechanical properties and morphology and torque rheology of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood flour composites have been comparatively investigated. The results demonstrated that without compatbilizer, wood flour species exhibited little influence on mechanical properties. In the presence of MA‐PE, the mechanical properties were obviously increased. On the basis of the mechanical property data obtained from wood flour extracted by different methods, the extractant was an important factor affecting the mechanical properties. Manchurian ash and larch wood flours extracted by hot water presented almost the same mechanical properties, and larch wood flour was the most beneficial to enhance the mechanical properties. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the atomic force microscopy (AFM) further confirmed that interfacial adhesion and dispersion of manchurian ash wood flour in composites were effectively improved by MA‐PE. The torque results demonstrated that the chemical reactions of maleic anhydride groups on MA‐PE with hydroxyl on cellulose in wood flour probably took place due to the increase of the equilibrium torque and the appearance of the torque peak, and larch wood flour was more beneficial to prepare the composites containing the higher wood flour content. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

杨木纤维表面改性及其HDPE复合材料性能研究

利用过氧化物作为引发剂,加入马来酸酐偶联把聚乙烯蜡接枝到杨木纤维表面上。接枝前后木纤维的红外光谱和色散自由能的显著变化证实了接枝反应的发生,并通过一系列实验计算了反应的接枝率;随着反应温度的提高,接枝率呈上升趋势,在170％以上变化趋势变缓。与未改性的木纤维相比,改性后木纤维填充HDPE复合材料的力学性能有较大提高,其拉伸、弯曲、冲击强度可分别提高34．9％,29．2％和8．8％,但随着聚乙烯蜡接枝量的增大,材料力学性能又有所下降。扫描电镜照片显示改性木纤维在基体中分散更均匀,界面结合良好。     

Banana fiber reinforced low-density polyethylene composites: effect of chemical treatment and compatibilizer addition

In this study, an attempt has been made to utilize banana fiber (a natural fiber from agricultural waste) as reinforcement for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) to develop environmental friendly composite materials. LDPE/banana fiber composites were fabricated at different fiber loadings (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 wt %) using compression molding technique. The composite with the composition of 25 wt % banana fiber was observed to be optimum on the basis of biodegradability and mechanical properties. Further, the effect of banana fiber surface treatment (alkali and acrylic acid) on the mechanical properties, morphology and water absorption behavior of the LDPE/banana fiber composites in the absence and presence of compatibilizer (maleic anhydride grafted LDPE, MA-g-LDPE) was comparatively studied. The alkali and acrylic acid treatment of the banana fibers led to enhanced mechanical properties and water resistance property of the composites, and these properties got further improved by the addition of the compatibilizer. The addition of compatibilizer to the acrylic acid treated banana fiber composites showed the most effective improvement in the flexural and impact strength and also, exhibited a reduction in the water absorption capacity. However, the tensile strength of the compatibilized composites with treated fibers resulted in slightly lower values than those with untreated fibers, because of the degradation of fibers by chemical attack as was evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs. SEM studies carried out on the tensile fractured surface of the specimens showed improved fiber-matrix interaction on the addition of compatibilizer.     

马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯对亚麻纤维增强高密度聚乙烯力学性能影响

通过双螺杆挤出造粒,制备了亚麻纤维增强高密度聚乙烯（PE-HD）复合材料,研究了相容剂马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯（PP-g-MAH）含量对于复合材料性能改善的效果。结果表明：复合材料力学性能得到了显著的提升,其中拉伸强度、弯曲强度和冲击强度最大值分别为32.75、37.21、43 kJ/m2;PP-g-MAH含量为5 ％或者10 ％时复合材料具有相对较好的力学性能;PP-g-MAH的加入能提高复合材料的耐热性,降低复合材料力学损耗。     

Effects of toughening agents on the behaviors of bamboo plastic composites

Three kinds of reactive toughening agents of bamboo plastic composites are studied in this article. The bio‐fiber keeps high polarity for the hydroxyl groups of the surface, while polypropylene (PP) matrix resin phase is nonpolar. So, the interfacial compatibility between matrix and enhanced phase is poor. The anhydride in maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene can react with the hydroxyls. A large number of hydroxyl groups on the fiber surface are reduced, and the interfacial bond strength is improved. Three reactive toughening agents: glycidyl methacrylate grafted poly(ethylene‐1‐octene), maleic anhydride grafted poly(ethylene‐octene), and poly(ethylene‐butylacrylate‐glycidyl methacrylate) are chosen to improve the impact toughness. The mechanical properties, compatibility, phase structure, water absorption, and thermal properties of PP blends are all investigated. When the content of toughening agents are controlled between 6% and 8%, not only the impact strength is greatly improved but also the other properties of PP are less affected, which makes the composites with comprehensive and practical applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

HDPE reinforced with glass fibers: Rheology,tensile properties,stress relaxation,and orientation of fibers

Glass fiber‐reinforced high‐density polyethylene of varying concentrations was mixed with ethylene copolymer and maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (coupling agents) separately. The viscosity, tensile strength, and stress relaxation properties of the composites were investigated. The orientation and anisotropy of glass fibers were studied using micro computed tomography scanner. It was found out that the orientation and anisotropy of fiber are strongly affected by the increase in glass fiber concentration. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:2159–2169, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Studies on Electrical Properties of Natural Fiber: HDPE Composites

Abstract:

The composites of banana, hemp, and agave with HDPE resin were separately prepared in different ratios, 60:40, 55:45, 50:50, and 45:55 (wt/wt). These fibers were also treated with maleic anhydride and the effect of maleic anhydride was studied on surface resistivity and volume resistivity of wood polymer composites. The surface resistivity decreases with an increase in fiber content in the composites, while volume resistivity increases. The maximum surface and volume resistivities were observed in untreated banana fiber composite, while minimum surface resistivity and volume resistivity were found in maleic anhydride-treated agave fiber composite. The decrement in volume resistivity and surface resistivity is due to the increment in cross-linking between polymer and fiber by treatment with maleic anhydride.     

Effects of rice straw fiber morphology and content on the mechanical and thermal properties of rice straw fiber‐high density polyethylene composites

Rice straw fiber‐high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were prepared to investigate the effects of rice straw fiber morphology (rice straw refined fiber, rice straw pellet, rice straw strand), fiber content (20 and 40 wt %), and maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) concentration (5 wt %) on the mechanical and thermal properties of the rice straw fiber‐HDPE composites in this study. Rice straw refined fiber exhibited more variability in length and width, and have a higher aspect ratio of 16.3. Compared to the composites filled of rice straw pellet, the composites made of the refined fiber and strand had a slightly higher tensile strength and lower tensile elongation at break. The tensile and flexural strength of the composites increased slightly with increasing rice straw fiber content up to 40 wt %, while the tensile elongation at break decreased. With addition MAPE, the composites filled with 20 wt % rice straw fiber showed an increase in tensile, flexural and impact strength and a decrease in tensile elongation at break. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the fiber addition and morphology had no appreciable effect on the crystallization temperature of the composites but decreased the crystallinity. The scanning electron microscopy observation on the fracture surface of the composites indicated that introduction of MAPE to the system resulted in promotion in fiber dispersion, and an increase in interfacial bonding strength. Fiber breakage occurred significantly in the composites filled with refined fiber and strand after extruding and injection processing. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

An investigation for the effect of recycled matrix on the properties of textile waste cotton fiber reinforced (T‐FRP) composites

The main objective of this research is to study the effect of recycled low density polyethylene (r‐LDPE) matrix on the tensile, impact, and flexural properties of the novel textile waste cotton fiber reinforced (T‐FRP) composites. For this purpose, the T‐FRP composites were manufactured by using two different matrix types; namely, virgin LPDE (v‐LDPE) and r‐LDPE, with different waste cotton fiber content. All composites were compatibilized by maleic anhydride‐LDPE (MA‐LDPE) in order to increase the interfacial adhesion between fibers and matrices. Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analyzer studies were performed in order to characterize the materials. The results have shown that best tensile and flexural properties have been obtained from the composites with the content of 30 wt% cotton fiber, 5 wt% maleic anhydride‐LDPE, and 65 wt% recycled LDPE matrix. However, the impact properties of the composites were decreased drastically compared to the pure LDPE matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1231–1240, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Catalytic grafting: A new technique for polymer/fiber composites. II. Plasma treated UHMPE fibers/polyethylene composites

In this paper, the catalytic grafting technique for preparation of polymer/fiber composites is extended to plasma treated ultra-high modulus polyethylene (UHMPE) fiber/high density polyethylene (HDPE) system. The OH groups introduced on the UHMPE fiber surface by oxygen plasma treatment were used to chemically anchor Ziegler-Natta catalyst which then was followed by ethylene polymerization on the fiber surface. The morphology and interfacial behavior, as well as the mechanical properties, of the HDPE composites reinforced by catalytic grafted or ungrafted UHMPE fibers were investigated by SEM, DSC, polarized light optical microscopy, and tensile testing. The experimental results show that the polyethylene grafted on the fibers acted as a transition layer between the reinforcing UHMPE fibers and a commercial HDPE matrix. The interfacial adhesion was also significantly improved. Compared with the composite reinforced by ungrafted UHMPE fibers, the composite reinforced by catalytic grafted UHMPE fibers exhibits much better mechanical properties.