Effects of the chemical treatment of avocado pear wood filler on the properties of LDPE composites

Abstract

The characteristics of wood filler-thermoplastics composites coupled with the incessant order of these products on a daily basis have long been of scholarly interest. This work is aimed at investigating the influence of chemical-modified avocado pear wood filler (APWF) on the mechanical and water absorption behavior of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The avocado pear wood filler-low density polyethylene (APWF/LDPE) composites were prepared by fresh APWF (UN) modified by the action of sodium hydroxide (NS), sodium hydroxide/acetic acid (AA) and sodium hydroxide/acetic acid/maleate polyethylene (MP), respectively and then merged with a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix by injection molding, respectively. The effect of the filler content on the properties was evaluated. The active groups and morphology of APWF/LDPE composites were studied using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The treated APWF exhibited better mechanical properties and higher water resistance than the UN with a greater improvement for the MP of the APWF/LDPE composite as captured by a FTIR and SEM graph. Consequently, the MP of an APWF/LDPE composite is highly recommended as an application for furniture and finishings.