Elastomer modified polypropylene–polyethylene blends as matrices for wood flour–plastic composites

Blends of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) could potentially be used as matrices for wood–plastic composites (WPCs). The mechanical performance and morphology of both the unfilled blends and wood-filled composites with various elastomers and coupling agents were investigated. Blending of the plastics resulted in either small domains of the minor phase in a matrix of major phase or a co-continuous morphology if equal amounts of HDPE and PP were added. The tensile moduli and yield properties of the blends were clearly proportional to the relative amounts of HDPE and PP in the blends. However, the nominal strain at break and the notched Izod impact energies of HDPE were greatly reduced by adding as little as 25% of the PP. Adding an ethylene–propylene–diene (EPDM) elastomer to the blends, reduced moduli and strength but increased elongational properties and impact energies, especially in HDPE-rich blends. Adding wood flour to the blends stiffened but embrittled them, especially the tougher, HDPE-rich blends, though the reductions in performance could be offset somewhat by adding elastomers and coupling agents or a combination of both.     

Accelerated weathering of fire-retarded wood–polypropylene composites

In this study, the influence of fire retardants, namely aluminum trihydrate, zinc borate, melamine, graphite, titanium dioxide on the durability of polypropylene-based co-extruded wood–plastic composites is studied. The composites underwent accelerated weathering under a xenon-arc lamp source during 1000 h. FTIR analysis of the composite surface revealed a degradation process which was accompanied by chemical changes, including vinyl-like and carbonyl groups accumulation; fire retardants did not influence the photo-oxidation mechanism of the composite. Fire retardant-loaded samples had smaller color change compared to the unfilled one. The tensile properties of all composites declined after the weathering. Significant changes in the surface morphology of the weathered composites were observed with a scan electron microscope.     

On polyethylene–polyaniline composites

Mechanical tests (elongation at break and tensile strength), DC electrical conductivity, and electron spin resonance (ESR) investigations on polyethylene–polyaniline blends are reported. While the concentration of the conducting polymer in the blend is raised, the DC electrical conductivity is increased, and the mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) are depressed. An universal expression for the dependence of mechanical and electrical properties on the concentration of conducting particles is empirically suggested and supported by experimental data. The ESR spectra are single lines, located close to the g=2.0 value and assigned to the conduction electrons (with uncoupled electronic spins). The reduced asymmetry of the resonance supports the presence of mesoscopic conducting domains. The features of ESR spectra and the connection between ESR parameters and DC conductivity reflects the major role of polarons hopping in the electron transport and rules out the presence of both low and high spin bipolarons.     

Accelerated weathering of wood–polypropylene composites containing minerals

Accelerated weathering tests were carried out on wood–polypropylene composites containing minerals. Three different mineral fillers were studied: calcium carbonate, wollastonite and talc. Colour changes were evaluated after distinct periods; the total time of exposure of the composites to UV irradiation was 2000 h. The weathering resulted in significant colour fading of the composites. The composites containing mineral fillers had higher changes of colour (lightness) than the reference composite. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed deterioration of the polymer surface layer in all weathered composites. Exposure of the reference composite to UV irradiation resulted in the disappearance of the polypropylene surface layer and disclosure of wood fibres, which led to a higher drop in the lignin content of this composite compared to mineral-containing composites. A substitution of part of the wood with mineral fillers resulted in decreased water absorption and thickness swelling of mineral-containing composites, compared to the reference composite. Exposure to water immersion-freeze–thaw cyclic treatment and UV irradiation led to a decrease in the Charpy impact strength of the composites, except for the composite containing talc.     

Preparation and characterization of polypropylene–wheat straw–clay composites

Preparation of polypropylene hybrid composite consisting of wheat straw and clay as reinforcement materials was investigated. The composite samples were prepared through melt blending method using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The composition of constituents of hybrid composite such as percentages of wheat straw, clay and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene as a coupling agent was varied in order to investigate their influence on water absorption and flexural properties. The XRD analysis of composite samples containing clay showed shift in d₀₀₁ peak to lower 2θ indicating slight intercalation of polymer in clay sheets. The results of the study indicate that the increase in wheat straw and clay content in a composite increases the flexural modulus and reduces the resistance for water absorption. The increase in PP-MA coupling agent also increases the flexural modulus and resistance for water absorption. The morphological study by scanning electron microscope reveals that the addition of coupling agent increases the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and polymer matrix which is evidenced further from increased flexural modulus. Further, the particle size of wheat straw was analyzed before and after extrusion in order to investigate the effect of extrusion on wheat straw dimensions. The addition of clay as additional filler had no significant role on water absorption and flexural properties of the composite.     

Optimization of delamination factor in drilling GFR–polypropylene composites

Glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites often replace the conventional materials due to their special or unique mechanical properties. As the applications of these composites increase for a number of industries, drilling of these composites is inevitable for subsequent composite product manufacturing stage. In the drilling of composites, the thrust force is induced during the drilling operation; as a result, it causes damage. This damage is characterized by the delamination factor, which depends on the machining parameters such as speed of the spindle, feed rate, and drill diameter. The study on the delamination in the drilling of glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene is limited and has been carried out comprehensively. The effect of machining parameters on delamination in the drilling of glass fiber-strengthened polypropylene (GFR-PP) composites is studied through the Box–Bhenken design. Response surface method, along with the desirability analysis, is used for modeling and optimization of delamination factor in the drilling. The result proves that the models are effectively used to forecast the delamination in the drilling of GFR-PP composites. Also, the result indicates that the foremost issue that influences the delamination is the feed rate.     

Characterization of polypropylene–polyethylene blends made of waste materials with compatibilizer and nano-filler

Waste polypropylene and polyethylene were blended by a twin-screw extruder with two compatibilizers (PE-g-MAH and EPDM) and an additive (O-MMT). The mechanical properties were measured firstly. By adding O-MMT, the tensile strength showed a decline while the impact strength made a promotion. The phase morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to explore the fracture toughness of blends. The blend with EPDM had a better compatibilization than PE-g-MAH. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the crystallization behavior and the result showed no change by blending. Moreover, further measurements such as thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were taken to show the thermal stability and crystallization temperature of the blend. Additionally, the storage modulus and loss modulus are measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the presence of O-MMT caused the increases of the storage modulus and loss modulus.     

Structure–morphology–mechanical properties relationship of some polypropylene/lignocellulosic composites

Natural lignocellulosic materials have an outstanding potential as thermoplastic reinforcement. Polypropylene composites were prepared using different types of lignocellulosic materials by melt blending of 70 wt% polypropylene (PP) and 30 wt% biomasses. The specimens were firstly evaluated for structural and morphological properties by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron and polarized optical microscopy. Depending on the biomass type, there were evidenced some particular shifts of the infrared bands and also crystallinity changes. An increase in crystallinity is explained by nucleating agent role of biomass. The morphological changes are directly related to variation in mechanical and rheological properties, an increase in Young modulus, melt viscosity and storage and loss moduli being recorded.     

Effect of hybridization on the physical and mechanical properties of high density polyethylene–(pine/agave) composites

This work reports on the properties of high density polyethylene based hybrid composites made with two natural fibers: agave and pine. The composites were produced by a combination of extrusion and injection molding. The effect of hybridization was analyzed via morphological, mechanical and water immersion tests for two total fiber contents, 20 and 30 wt.%, and different pine-agave fiber ratios (100–0, 80–20, 60–40, 40–60 and 0–100). Moreover, the effect of coupling agent (maleated polyethylene) in the hybrid composite formulation was evaluated. The results showed that addition of agave fibers improves tensile, flexural and impact strength, while pine fibers decreases water uptake. As expected, the addition of a coupling agent improves substantially the quality of the polymer–fiber interface as well as the mechanical properties, but this effect was more important for composites produced with higher agave fibers content due to the their chemical composition.     

Manufacturing sisal–polypropylene composites with minimum fibre degradation

Natural fibres, such as sisal, flax and jute, possess good reinforcing capability when properly compounded with polymers. These fibres are relatively inexpensive, originate from renewable resources and possess favourable values of specific strength and specific modulus. Thermoplastic polymers have a shorter cycle time as well as reprocessability despite problems with high viscosities and poor fibre wetting. The renewability of natural fibres and the recyclability of thermoplastic polymers provide an attractive eco-friendly quality to the resulting natural fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials. Common methods for manufacturing natural fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites, injection moulding and extrusion, tend to degrade the fibres during processing. Development of a simple manufacturing technique for sisal fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites, that minimises fibre degradation and can be used in developing countries, is the main objective of this study. Composite sheets with a fibre length greater than 10 mm and a fibre mass fraction in the range 15% to 35% exhibited good mechanical properties.     

Macro and micromechanics analysis of short fiber composites stiffness: The case of old newspaper fibers–polypropylene composites

Stiffness is one of the most relevant characteristics of composite materials. Natural wood fibers have demonstrated their ability to increase the Young’s moduli of composite materials, and old newspapers are a potential source of reinforcing fibers for composite materials. There are some micromechanic models to predict the Young’s modulus of composite materials, and one of the input data is the intrinsic modulus of their fibers. This intrinsic modulus is a value which is difficult or impossible to measure in the case of wood fibers, due to their measures. This paper evaluates the stiffening abilities of old newspaper fibers and the possibility to back calculate the value of the intrinsic Young’s modulus by means of micromechanic models. Different percentages of old newspaper fibers were compounded with polypropylene (PP). Micromechanics of the fibers were obtained using Hirsch model, Cox–Krenchel’s model, Tsai–Pagano model and Halpin–Tsai equations. The most important results were the average intrinsic Young’s modulus of the fibers, the mean orientation angle and the mean modulus efficiency factor.     

Mechanical and thermal characteristics of high density polyethylene–fly ash Cenospheres composites

Fly ash Cenospheres was used as reinforcing filler in High density polyethylene (HDPE) to develop lightweight composites. Cenospheres are inert hollow silicate spheres. Cenospheres are a naturally occurring by-product of the burning process at coal-fired power plants, and they have most of the same properties as manufactured hollow-sphere products. Cenospheres are primarily used to reduce the weight of plastics, rubbers, resins, cements, etc. used extensively as filler lubricants in oil drilling operations under high heat and high stress conditions down the hole. Also used as oil well cementing, mud putty and similar applications. Cenospheres were first used in the United States as an extender for plastic compounds, as they are compatible with plastisols thermoplastics, Latex, Polyesters, Epoxies, Phenolic resins and urethanes. The compatibility of Cenospheres with special cements and adhesives coating and composites have been well identified. Cenospheres are widely used in a variety of products, including sports equipments, insulation, automobile bodies, marine craft bodies, paints, and fire and heat protection devices. Typically applied in gypsum board jointing compounds, veneering plasters, stuccos, sealants, coating and cast resins. Providing the advantages of reduces weight, increased filler loadings, better flow characteristics, less shrinkage and warping and reduces water absorption. In order to improve the interaction between the inorganic filler and the organic matrix, the Cenospheres were surface treated with silane coupling agent and HDPE-g-dibutyl maleate was used as compatibilizer. The tensile and thermal properties of the composites were measured according to ASTM methods. The results reveal that, both surface modification of Cenospheres accompanied by compatibilization led to the substantial improvement to mechanical properties and thermal stability of the composites.     

Modulating the mechanical properties of photopolymerised polyethylene glycol–polypropylene glycol hydrogels for bone regeneration

Hydrogels formulated from single polymers are often insufficient in terms of their mechanical properties for use as bone substitute materials. Hence, hydrogels synthesised from combinations of polymers have been investigated to optimise the performance of such materials. In the current study, polypropylene glycol dimethacrylate was added to polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate of a variety of molecular weights and photopolymerised to form a series of hydrogels. Polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol have the same chemical structure with the exception of a methyl group on the later. Herein, the influence of the methyl group of polypropylene glycol on the mechanical properties of hydrogels for bone regeneration applications is reported. For both unconfined and cyclic compression testing, results demonstrated that the incorporation of PEGDMA into the precursor improves the compression strength of the hydrogels. For example, in unconfined compression tests the Young’s modulus varied between 6.62?±?0.31?MPa and 8.08?±?0.81?MPa with the incorporation of PEGDMA 400.     

The effect of zinc oxide–phosphate core–shell pigments on the properties of blend rubber composites

In this work the rheological, physico-mechanical, thermal and morphology studies were performed on a blend of EPDM/SBR (ethylene propylene diene monomer/styrene butadiene rubber) (50/50) loaded with a new prepared core–shell pigment based on a core of zinc oxide which presents the major component of the prepared pigment (≈90%) covered with a shell of phosphate, this shell comprises only about (≈10%). The new pigments were added in different concentration to the rubber blend and were compared to blends pigmented with commercial zinc oxide and zinc phosphate. The results showed that the new pigments exhibited better rheometric, and physico-mechanical properties. In addition, these prepared pigments showed decrease of equilibrium swelling in toluene solvent and increase in crosslink density for EPDM/SBR blend. The efficiency of prepared core–shell pigments were also evaluated by studying the surface morphology (SEM) and thermal properties TGA (thermal gravimetric analysis). The prepared pigments loading of 10 phr (parts per hundred parts of rubber) showed the optimum properties of EPDM/SBR blend than rubber loaded with higher concentration of the commercial pigments, which indicated that the new core–shell pigment is more economic with better performance than commercial zinc oxide and phosphates individually.     

Apatite-forming ability of glass-ceramic apatite–wollastonite – polyethylene composites: effect of filler content

The bioactivity of a range of glass-ceramic apatite–wollastonite (A–W) – polyethylene composites (AWPEXs) with glass-ceramic A–W volume percentages ranging from 10 to 50, has been investigated in an acellular simulated body fluid (SBF) with ion concentrations similar to those of human blood plasma. The formation of a biologically active apatite layer on the composite surface after immersion in SBF was demonstrated by thin-film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). An apatite layer was formed on all the composites, with the rate of formation increasing with an increase in glass-ceramic A–W percentage. For composites with glass-ceramic A–W filler contents 30 vol %, the apatite layer was formed within 12 h of immersion, which is a comparable time for apatite formation on monolithic glass-ceramic A–W. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) demonstrated that the apatite formation on AWPEX samples with 50 vol % filler content occurred in a manner similar to that seen on pure glass-ceramic A–W, in that the calcium, silicon, and magnesium ion concentrations increased and, conversely, a decrease was observed in the phosphate ion concentration. These results indicate that a suitable in vitro response was achieved on a composite incorporating particulate glass-ceramic A–W with a particularly favorable response being observed on the AWPEX sample with 50 vol % filler content.     

Crystallization behavior of organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fiber–HDPE composites

Both non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization behaviors of neat HDPE and organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fiber–high density polyethylene (HDPE) or HDPE–maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) composites were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The isothermal crystallization process was studied by the Avrami model. The crystallization patterns and organo-nanoclay distribution was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that both organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fibers could act as nucleating agent for the HDPE polymer when the fiber length was comparatively small. All composites crystallized much faster than the neat HDPE, while their crystallinity levels were lower. The organo-nanoclay treatment of kraft fibers made the crystallinity level lower, but the nucleation rate increased in the composites compared to the untreated kraft fiber–HDPE composites. But both the crystallinity level and the nucleation rate of the composites were increased by adding MAPE compatibilizer to the composites. MAPE increased the d-spacing of the organo-nanoclay layers in the composites and resulted in exfoliated clay platelets when the fiber loading was as high as 40 wt%.     

Effect of amphiphilic coupling agent on heat flow and dielectric properties of flax–polypropylene composites

The study on heat transport in composites is of fundamental importance in engineering design and for tailoring thermal and mechanical behaviour of materials. In this study, the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of flax reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were determined at room temperature. Chemical modification in the form of a biodegradable zein coating was applied to the flax nonwovens. The effect of fibre loading and chemical modification on the thermo-physical properties was investigated. Dielectric permittivity studies were also evaluated and the dielectric constant of fibre reinforced composites was found to be higher than that of PP. The heat flow and crystallinity effects of the composites were also determined by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) studies. Zein modification of the flax fibres resulted in a decrease of thermal conductivity and diffusivity which was attributed to a decrease in velocity and mean free path of phonons due to increase in interfacial adhesion.     

The effect of partially stabilized zirconia on the mechanical properties of the hydroxyapatite–polyethylene composites

The effect of partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) on the mechanical properties of the hydroxyapatite-high density polyethylene composites was studied by investigating the effect of hydroxyapatite and the simultaneous effect of hydroxyapatite and PSZ volume fractions on fracture strength, modulus of elasticity, and absorbed energy in the composite samples. The results showed a decrease in fracture strength, and absorbed energy with an increase in the volume fraction of hydroxyapatite content in the hydroxyapatite-polyethylene samples. Partial replacement of hydroxyapatite with PSZ particles was beneficial in the improvement of both the fracture strength and failure energy values in the composite samples. A transition from ductile to brittle behavior was observed as the volume fraction of ceramic filler particles increased in the samples.     

Low-frequency (10–50 kHz) impedance of polystyrene-onion-like-carbon composites

The impedance of polystyrene-onion-like-carbon (PS-OLC) composites in the low-frequency (10–50 kHz) range has been studied as a function of the OLC weight fraction in the material. The composites were fabricated by rolling of PS filled with OLC powder obtained through the annealing of detonation nanodiamonds at 2140 K. The homogeneity of OLC distribution in the PS matrix has been studied as dependent on the number of rolling stages. It is established that the percolation threshold in PS-OLC composites is achieved at an OLC content of 35–40 wt %.     

Sorption of copper(II) onto super-adsorbent of bentonite–polyacrylamide composites

In this work, bentonite embedded in the polyacrylamide (PAAm) gels was used as a novel adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The sorption and desorption of Cu(II) on bentonite–polyacrylamide (BENT–PAAm) was investigated as the function of pH, ionic strength, adsorbent content, Cu(II) concentrations and temperature. The results indicated that the sorption of Cu(II) on BENT–PAAm was strongly dependent on pH, ionic strength and temperature. The sorption increased from about 9% to 97% at pH ranging from 2.4 to 7. The sorption of Cu(II) on BENT–PAAm increased with increasing temperature and decreasing ionic strength. The sorption of Cu(II) on BENT and on BENT–PAAm was an endothermic and irreversible process. The results of desorption indicated that the adsorbed Cu(II) ions on solid particles were difficult to be desorbed from solid to liquid phase. From the comparison with BENT, BENT–PAAm showed higher sorption capacity with C_smax increasing from 29 to 33 mg/g at pH 6.2 and from 11 to 20 mg/g at pH 5.0 for the sorption of Cu(II) from BENT to BENT–PAAm composites. The average standard enthalpy change (ΔH°) and the entropy change (ΔS°) of Cu(II) sorption on BENT–PAAm are higher than those of Cu(II) sorption on BENT. The BENT–PAAm composites can be used as a super-adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution.