Mechanical properties and foaming behavior of polypropylene/elastomer/recycled carbon fiber composites

Abstract

Research on lightweight products for transportation industry, to address fuel efficiency and lower carbon footprint, has attracted great attention due to public environmental awareness. Polymer composites containing carbon fiber are boosted by automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as a replacement for steel. However, their high cost has generated interest to find cost‐effective alternatives. In this report, a recycled carbon fiber and an elastomer are introduced to polypropylene impact copolymers to modify matrix properties in terms of strength and toughness. Fractography analysis is carried out to elucidate the failure mechanisms governing the mechanical performance of the compatibilized carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) composites. The results suggest that for the TPO composites, toughened by an ethylene‐1‐octene copolymer, the complex interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic toughnesses in impact resistance is predominantly governed by the presence of the fibers. Incorporating 20 wt% recycled carbon fibers into the matrix resulted in an improvement of the heat distortion temperature (HDT) by 100 °C, and ~ 3.5 and ~ 11.5 times enhancements in tensile strength and stiffness, respectively. Moreover, microcellular foams with expansion ratios higher than 11 and 5 were achieved for the neat samples and reinforced composites, respectively, confirming the foamability of composites with such a high carbon fiber content.

Extrinsic toughening of recycled carbon fibers in polypropylene composites in the absence of plasticity penalty

“…While some studies verified that the introduction of fibers leads to enhancement of impact strength of polymer composites, 9,26,27 opposite results are reported by other researchers. 13,28,29 This work discusses the trade-off between plasticity penalty of polymer matrices and extrinsic toughening of fibers. This work provides a comprehensive overview of the reinforcement potential of recycled carbon fibers in a highly filled PP homopolymer with high strength, stiffness, and flowability.…”

An investigation to enhance the mechanical property of high‐performance thermoplastic composite through different plasma treatment

“…Among these polymers, the incorporation of bulkier groups in the polymer chain (like PPEK) results in enhanced glass transition temperature but the chemical resistance of the polymer is compromised due to reduction in crystallinity. [10] PEEK has been extensively adopted as a high-performance matrix for carbon fiber composites [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] while other polymers like PEK have not been comprehensively explored as a potential matrix phase for high-performance composites. Polyether ketone (PEK) with its higher glass transition temperature has relatively high-service temperature while having good melt processability and crystallinity and thus PEK has been considered as the resin for this study.…”

Synergistic effect of polyurethane‐coated carbon fiber and electron beam irradiation on the thermal/mechanical properties and long‐term durability of polyamide‐based thermoplastic composites

“…[ 19,20 ] Therefore, CF‐reinforced thermoplastics have attracted a lot of attention as they exhibit the strengths of reinforcing materials while maintaining the advantages of thermoplastic materials. [ 21–27 ]…”

“…[19,20] Therefore, CF-reinforced thermoplastics have attracted a lot of attention as they exhibit the strengths of reinforcing materials while maintaining the advantages of thermoplastic materials. [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] In this study, for the first time, we investigated the synergistic effects of EB irradiation and CF filler on the thermal and mechanical properties of PA-based composites, which were prepared by a facile melt-compounding process. For efficient EB irradiation-induced crosslinking of PA matrix, TAIC as a crosslinking agent was added during melt-compounding of PA and CF components.…”