Mechanical properties of PP/kenaf core nanocomposites made from nanocrystalline cellulose as an additive

Abstract

Kenaf core contains a fairly high amount of cellulose and lignin; hence, any attempt to use both components would be beneficial. In this study, kenaf core was used as reinforcement in PP/kenaf core nanocomposites. The core was prepared in two forms: (i) as micron-size reinforcement and (ii) as nanocrystalline cellulose. The bleaching process for nanocrystalline cellulose was conducted at different intensities in order to retain different amounts of lignin in the pulp. Then, the nanocrystalline cellulose was prepared via hydrolysis reaction. Both the micron-size kenaf core pulp and the nanocrystalline cellulose of different bleaching intensity were loaded in the polypropylene matrix with the aid of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene coupling agent. The mixtures were then hot pressed at 180°C for 8 min to form into standard testing size sample according to standard ASTM D638 (dumbbell shape for tensile test) and D790 (for flexural and impact test). The chemical, mechanical and morphological properties of the composites were evaluated. The results revealed that composites added with unbleached nanocrystalline cellulose (11.48% lignin content) had lowered the tensile and flexural strength. On the contrary, the impact strength was increased when unbleached nanocrystalline cellulose was added.

Preparation and properties of transparent powder filled soft poly(vinyl chloride) composite film with high transparency

“…The dispersion of KH570@TP in the PVC matrix was characterized by the morphologies of the tensile fracture surfaces of the four composite films, as shown in Figure 6. Obviously, KH570@TP/PVC composite films have rougher surfaces than pure PVC, 30 indicating that the matrix has undergone plastic deformation due to the effect of particles. In Figure 6b, a hole (red circle) is seen on the tensile fracture surface of 2.5 phr KH570@TP/PVC, indicating weak interfacial interaction between the filler and the matrix.…”

Characteristics of polypropylene-based antistatic bio-nano composites reinforced with mono-diacylglycerols and cellulose nanocrystals

“…Besides that, PP is harmful to the environment due to its non-degradable nature [1,2], but PP is recyclable [3]. In this work, Antistatic bio-nano composites (AS-BNC) reinforced by mono-diacylglycerols (M-DAG) as an antistatic agent [4] and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as a reinforcement [4][5][6][7][8][9], where PP serves as the matrix. These biomaterials have been investigated in systems and materials aspects for exploring and choosing new suitable materials for future applications.…”

“…The addition of M-DAG as an antistatic agent [4] and CNC as a reinforcement [4][5][6][7][8][9] to the PP as a thermoplastic matrix [4][5][6][7][8][9] had a positive impact on the characteristics of the resulting PP-based antistatic bionano composites and PP-based bio-nano composites [4][5][6][7][8][9]. The combination of the added M-DAG and CNC is expected to produce a synergistic effect to improve the quality of the antistatic bio-nano composites.…”

Cumulative energy and cost demand analysis in the synthesis of antistatic bionanocomposites compared with the synthesis of polypropylene

“…The antistatic bionanocomposites could be synthesized using mono-diacylglycerols (M-DAG) as an antistatic agent [1], cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as a reinforcement [2][3][4], polypropylene (PP) as a thermoplastic matrix [2,3], and supporting materials consists of maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP), antioxidant (AO), dan mineral oil (MO) [2][3][4][5][6][7]. The synthesis of antistatic bionanocomposites (AS BNC) requires energy and costs from energy and material usage [8].…”