Effect of coupling agent on polylactic acid/polypropylene and polylactic acid/polyamide 6 foam composites

The main part of polymer materials generated from fossil fuels do not degrade after completing their usage life and then begin to be waste in the environment. This situation has led to the emphasis on environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and bio-based polymers obtained from renewable sources as an alternative. In recent years, several studies are concentrated on especially lightweight and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission limitations. In this work, the goal was to investigate at the same time environmentally friendly and lightweight polymer foam composites based on polylactic acid (PLA) polymer without lowering the performances of the materials. In this aim, polymer foam composites containing polypropylene (PP), polyamide 6 (PA6) and PLA were produced (PLA/PA6 (30:70) and PLA/PP (30:70)) with a chemical blowing agent (CBA) introduced at 1.5 wt.% to the polymer mixture. To improve the interpolymer compatibility and foaming activity maleic anhydride-grafted polylactic acid (PLA-g-MA) was utilized as coupling agent (CA) in different ratios (1, 3 and 5 wt.%). From the evaluation of the polymer mixtures in terms of their lightness, thermal and mechanical strength, the most appropriate CA ratios were determined as 1 wt.% for foamed PLA/PP (30:70) mixtures and 3 wt.% for foamed PLA/PA6 (30:70) mixtures.     

Effect of polyethylene glycol on mechanical properties of bamboo fiber-reinforced polylactic acid composites

The bamboo fiber (BF)-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites were prepared using the twin-screw extruder and injection molding. Thermal gravimetric analyzer results indicated the thermal stability of BF/PLA composites decreased with increasing BF content. Differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray diffraction curves showed that BF played a role as a nucleating agent, but the crystallinity of composite materials decreased with the increasing BF content. The melt flow rate of composites reduced with the increase in BF content, resulting in a poorer processing property. The processability of the composites was improved with the addition of high molecular polyethylene glycol (PEG). Mechanics performance test showed that tensile strength and bending strength of composites increased at low loading with the BF content increased then decreased when the loading continued to increase. The tensile strength of the composite materials reached 65.46 MPa when alkali-treated BF (ABF) content was 20 wt %. The flexural strength of the composites reached 97.94 MPa when ABF content was 10 wt %. Impact performance has also been improved. PEG-20000 was the best plasticizer among the PEG-6000,PEG-10000, and PEG-20000. When the component of PEG was 10 wt %, the elongation increased by 56%. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) result showed that the fracture of the composites was smooth, most ABF were wrapped in matrix and distribution of ABF in PLA matrix was more uniform. It means that interfacial compatibility of bamboo fiber and PLA improved after BF modified by alkali. High molecular weight PEG enhance melt flow ability of polymer, result in fibers were further enclosed in the PLA matrix and increase properties of composites. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47709.     

聚乳酸/聚多巴胺复合材料的制备及性能研究

聚乳酸(PLA)被认为是一种无毒、生物相容性优异的生物可降解材料,但其降解周期长、缺乏功能性而限制了其更广的应用。为改善聚乳酸(PLA)的各项性能,选用聚多巴胺纳米粒子(PDA NPs)作为纳米填料,通过溶液浇铸的方法制备了聚乳酸/聚多巴胺(PLA/PDA NPs)复合材料。结果表明,所制备的PDA NPs呈规则、均一的球形结构,且可通过改变介质pH调控粒径在140～550 nm;PDA NPs的加入可降低复合材料的冷结晶温度(T_c)和结晶度(X_c);但却能显著提升复合材料的降解速率,且其降解速率先较平缓后明显加快,最终降解20 d后降解率达到95.3%,比纯PLA加快了1倍。此外,PLA/PDA NPs复合材料被发现还具有紫外屏蔽性能,复合材料对UVA和UVB的屏蔽率分别高达65.98%和71.49%,是纯PLA的紫外屏蔽性能的2倍。     

Mechanical and thermal properties of coconut shell powder filled polylactic acid biocomposites: effects of the filler content and silane coupling agent

The effects of the filler content and the coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APE) on the mechanical properties, thermal properties, and morphologies of polylactic acid (PLA)/coconut shell powder (CSP) biocomposites were investigated. It was found that increasing the CSP content decreased the tensile strengths and elongations at break of the PLA/CSP biocomposites. However, incorporating CSP increased their modulus of elasticity. The tensile strengths and modulus of elasticity of the PLA/CSP biocomposites were enhanced by the presence of 3-APE, which can be attributed to a stronger filler–matrix interaction. The thermal stabilities of the biocomposites increased with the filler content, and they were enhanced by 3-APE treatment. Meanwhile, the presence of CSP increased the glass transition temperatures (T _g) and crystallinities (X _c) of the PLA/CSP biocomposites at a filler content of 30 php. After 3-APE treatment, T _g and X _c of the PLA/CSP biocomposites increased due to enhanced interfacial bonding. The presence of a peak crystallization temperature (T _c) for the PLA/CSP biocomposites indicated that the CSP has a nucleating effect. The melting temperatures (T _m) and the T _c values of the biocomposites were not significantly affected by the filler content and 3-APE. PLA/CSP biocomposites that had been treated with 3-APE presented the strongest filler–matrix interaction, as confirmed by SEM.     

聚乳酸/聚多巴胺复合材料的制备及性能研究

聚乳酸(PLA)被认为是一种无毒、生物相容性优异的生物可降解材料,但其降解周期长、缺乏功能性而限制了其更广的应用。为改善聚乳酸(PLA)的各项性能,选用聚多巴胺纳米粒子(PDA NPs)作为纳米填料,通过溶液浇铸的方法制备了聚乳酸/聚多巴胺(PLA/PDA NPs)复合材料。结果表明,所制备的PDA NPs呈规则、均一的球形结构,且可通过改变介质pH调控粒径在140～550 nm;PDA NPs的加入可降低复合材料的冷结晶温度(T_c)和结晶度(X_c);但却能显著提升复合材料的降解速率,且其降解速率先较平缓后明显加快,最终降解20 d后降解率达到95.3%,比纯PLA加快了1倍。此外,PLA/PDA NPs复合材料被发现还具有紫外屏蔽性能,复合材料对UVA和UVB的屏蔽率分别高达65.98%和71.49%,是纯PLA的紫外屏蔽性能的2倍。     

Effect of silane coupling agent on the dielectric and thermal properties of DGEBA-forsterite composites

Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) -forsterite composites have been prepared through mechanical mixing process and the influence of silane coupling agent on the microstructure, dielectric and thermal properties were studied. Phase pure forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) powder was prepared through solid state ceramic route. Filling fraction of forsterite in DGEBA matrix was varied from 10 to 40 vol%. The morphology and filler distribution of filled composite were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Waveguide cavity perturbation technique was employed to measure the dielectric properties of composites. It is found that aminosilane treatment increased the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the composites in both microwave and radio frequency ranges compared to composites prepared using untreated powders. Coefficient of thermal expansion of composites decreased with the forsterite addition and attains a relatively low value of 45 ppm/°C for composite containing 40 vol% surface treated filler.     

偶联剂对线性低密度聚乙烯/水滑石体系力学和流变性能影响

采用钛酸酯偶联剂NDZ-201、硅烷偶联剂KH-570、硬脂酸和硬脂酸-稀土偶联剂,对水滑石(LDHs)进行表面改性处理,通过X射线衍射和红外光谱表征了改性前后LDHs的结构变化;并研究了不同种类偶联剂及其含量对LDHs填充LLDPE复合体系的力学性能和流变性能的影响.结果表明:4种偶联剂均可以实现LDHs表面改性,并且不会改变LDHs层状结构;改性后LLDPE/LDHs复合材料的断裂伸长率和流变性能得到提高;其中用4%硬脂酸改性LDHs时,LLDPE/LDHs复合材料的断裂伸长率为160%,平衡扭矩为8 N·m.     

Effect of initial fiber length on the rheological properties of sisal fiber/polylactic acid composites

The rheological properties of sisal fiber (SF)/polylactic acid (PLA) composites of different SF content and initial fiber length were evaluated using a torque rheometer. Since the SF configuration directly affected the rheological properties of the composites, the length and width of SFs in the final composites were measured. The effect of fiber content, angular velocity, and initial fiber length on the fiber aspect ratio (length to width ratio) and composite rheological properties were analyzed. Initial fiber length significantly affects the rheological properties of SF/PLA composites at low SF content, while fiber content predominantly affects rheological properties at high SF content, and rheological parameters are similar for the composites of different initial fiber length. The average shear stress and mixing temperature are affected by feeding speed for composites of very high SF content. POLYM. COMPOS., © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

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     

Effect of a macromolecular coupling agent on the properties of aluminum hydroxide/PP composites

Polypropylene (PP)/aluminum hydroxide (ATH) composites were prepared in a melt mixer with addition of polypropylene functionalized with vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) as a coupling agent. The effects of ATH and PP‐VTES on the melt flow indices (MFI), tensile properties, decomposition temperatures, and flame retardancy of composites were analyzed. It was verified that increased ATH concentration reduced MFI and tensile properties, but increased the decomposition temperature under oxidative atmosphere and improved the flammability properties. Addition of PP modified with VTES slightly improved tensile strength and maximum elongation and granted the best results for the flammability tests of the materials showing that it can be an effective coupling agent for PP/ATH composites. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1799–1805, 2006     

Effect of flax fiber content on polylactic acid (PLA) crystallization in PLA/flax fiber composites

Crystallization of polylactic acid (PLA) has a profound effect on its thermal stability and mechanical properties. However, almost no crystallization occurs in actual injection molding process due to rapid cooling program. In this paper, flax fiber was employed as nucleator to enhance the crystallization capability of PLA. Effects of flax fiber content on cold crystallization, melt crystallization, crystallinity, crystal form, morphologies, and size of spherulites of PLA/flax fiber composites were investigated. Dynamic mechanical analysis was innovatively employed to study cold crystallization temperature of PLA/flax fiber composites under dynamic force, and the relationship between cold crystallization temperature (y) and flax fiber content (x) data was fitted by the function y = 34.1 × exp (?x/5.7) + 78.0. The differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the cold crystallization temperature of composites dropped, the melt crystallization temperature of composites increased, and the crystallinity of composites improved with increasing of flax fiber content. Using polarized optical microscopy, it has been found that the spherocrystal size of composites was much smaller than that of neat PLA, and flax fiber induced transcrystallization on the flax fiber surfaces. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction was applied to reveal that flax fiber significantly enhanced the formation of α-form PLA crystals.     

聚乳酸/剑麻复合材料流变性能表征

利用转矩流变仪测量流变特性的方法,表征了不同剑麻纤维含量下,聚乳酸(PLA)/剑麻复合材料的流变性能,并测量实验后纤维的长度和宽度、PLA分子量,分析剑麻纤维含量和转速对复合材料体系中纤维长度的影响,以及PLA降解情况。结果表明,复合材料的非牛顿指数在纤维含量为10%左右出现峰值,并进一步随含量的增加而减小。复合体系中,刚性剑麻纤维受到来自于转子、聚合物和纤维之间的作用力,纤维被剪短,长径比减小;聚乳酸会受到转速和纤维含量的影响发生降解,这些因素都会影响PLA/剑麻复合材料的流变性能。     

Effects of raw fiber materials,fiber content,and coupling agent content on selected properties of polyethylene/wood fiber composites

This study investigated the effects of raw fiber materials, fiber content, and coupling agent (CA) content on mixing torque, rheological properties, and crystallization behavior of wood plastic composites (WPC). WPCs were prepared through melt molding processes. This study adopted a response surface strategy of 20 run optimal design for three factors including wood fiber type, fiber content, and CA content. Wood fiber type or wood fiber characteristics influence equilibrium torque and viscosity. The power index n for viscosity as a function of frequency was affected not only by wood fiber content, but also by CA content and wood fiber type. Addition of wood fibers to the system as nucleating agents favors polyethylene crystallization. The values of crystallization enthalpy and melt enthalpy were correlated with wood fiber content and CA content, but they were not affected by wood fiber type. The melt temperatures of polyethylene and composites were comparable. This indicates that the crystallite structure and lamellar thickness are similar. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1678–1687, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

DOPS衍生物阻燃剂的合成及聚乳酸复合材料的性能（急）

以马来酸酐(MAH)和9,10-二氢-9-氧杂-10-磷杂菲-10-硫化物(DOPS)为原料,合成了马来酸酐-9,10-二氢-9-氧杂-10-磷杂菲-10-硫化物(MAH-DOPS),将MAH-DOPS应用于聚乳酸(PLA)的阻燃改性.采用TG、极限氧指数(LOI)、垂直燃烧(UL-94)、锥形量热、TG-FTIR和SEM-EDS测试了MAH-DOPS对PLA的热稳定性、阻燃性能和热降解行为的影响.结果表明,阻燃剂MAH-DOPS中的P、S元素产生的协同阻燃作用提高了阻燃效率,改善了PLA的阻燃性能.当阻燃剂质量分数为5％时,制备的PLA/MAH-DOPS-5％的LOI为28.1％,达到UL-94 V-0级,总热释放量和平均有效燃烧热降低.MAH-DOPS同时在气相和凝聚相发挥阻燃作用,并以气相阻燃机理为主.     

偶联剂类型对溶聚丁苯橡胶/白炭黑复合材料性能的影响

从力学性能、动态压缩疲劳生热、动态力学性能等方面对比了分别由SnCl_4和SiCl_4偶联的溶聚丁苯橡胶(SSBR)与白炭黑所制备复合材料的性能,并利用测定结合橡胶含量、橡胶加工分析仪及Kraus模型等手段探讨了两种SSBR与白炭黑的相互作用。结果表明,与用SnCl_4偶联所制备的SSBR相比,经SiCl_4偶联制得的SSBR与白炭黑的相互作用力更强,白炭黑的分散性更好。所制备SSBR/白炭黑复合材料的力学性能更好,压缩温升更低,滚动阻力更小,抗湿滑性能更好。     

偶联剂KH-570对木薯淀粉/天然橡胶复合材料性能的影响

采用偶联剂KH-570对木薯淀粉/NR复合材料进行改性,研究了偶联剂KH-570对复合材料结构和性能的影响.结果表明:加入KH-570后,木薯淀粉/NR复合材料的定伸应力、拉伸强度和撕裂强度提高;当KH-570用量为3％时,复合材料的综合力学性能最佳.SEM分析表明,KH-570增强了木薯淀粉与天然橡胶间的界面结合;加...     

Accelerated weathering properties of compatibilized composites made from recycled HDPE and nonmetallic printed circuit board waste

The main aim of this work is to examine the influence of the contents of nonmetallic printed circuit board (PCB) waste component on the photodegradation of recycled high‐density polyethylene (rHDPE) composites. The properties tested were chemical changes, flexural properties, color stability, water absorption, leaching properties, and crystallinity changes of the composites after exposure to 2,000 h of accelerated weathering. Surface degradation for composites with nonmetallic PCB was less compared to unfilled rHDPE mainly because glass fibers covered almost the whole surface of specimens, acting as a protective layer, thus, slowing down the photodegradation reaction. Incorporation of compatibilizer in rHDPE/PCB composites had played an important role in resisting degradation due to UV exposure. All the composite samples became lighter in the early stages of weathering exposure; however, compatibilized composites showed less lightening and reduction on strength and modulus. Carbonyl index increases with exposure time indicating that the oxidation reaction continuously occurred during the aging process. Incorporation of compatibilizer had successfully reduced the water absorption uptake by the composites and effectively delayed some degradation properties of weathering. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43110.     

The effect of cellulose nanowhiskers on the flexural properties of self-reinforced polylactic acid composites

Self-reinforced polylactic acid (SR PLA) composites incorporating cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) were produced by coating orientated PLA fibres with a polyvinyl acetate (PVAc)–CNW mixture as a binder prior to hot compaction at 95 °C. PLA fibres were produced with an average diameter of 11 (±0.9) μm via a melt-drawing process at 180 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the CNWs imparted roughness to the PLA fibre surface. Cross-sectional examination of the SR PLA composites after hot-pressing confirmed that the PLA fibres had maintained their morphology. Incorporation of 8 wt% CNWs within the SR-PLA composites revealed an increase in their flexural strength (48%) and modulus (39%) compared to the control composite (flexural strength ∼82 MPa and modulus ∼3.9 GPa). In addition, whilst the control SR-PLA composite revealed quite brittle characteristics, the addition of CNWs and PVAc gave the self-reinforced composite a more ductile behaviour.     

聚乳酸基复合材料的研究进展

综述了近年国内外聚乳酸基复合材料的研究进展,主要包括聚乳酸与天然高分子材料复合、聚乳酸与合成高分子材料复合以及聚乳酸与其它分子材料复合等。同时对聚乳酸基复合材料在制备和应用过程中遇到的难题进行了分析和总结。开发综合性能优异的聚乳酸基复合材料的低成本制备关键技术将是今后该领域发展的主要方向。