Carbon black filled shell of high density wood-polyethylene composites to balance the antistatic properties and mechanical properties

Abstract

Carbon black (CB) was used to fill the shell of wood high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composite to improve its antistatic properties and simultaneously maintain its mechanical properties. The conductivity analysis revealed that the percolation threshold of the CB in coextruded WPC was between 15% and 20%, and the surface resistivity of the sample containing 20% CB (CW-20) achieved the floor antistatic requirements of an electronic information system room and its support area according to GB/T 50174 (2017). The addition of CB into the shell of the coextruded WPC inhibited its crystallization. The mechanical properties of coextruded WPC were increased when the CB content was increased. The flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength of the CW-20 sample were increased by 21.6%, 10.8%, and 26.1%, respectively. In addition, the dosage of CB in regular WPCs was 6.71 times as much as that of coextruded WPCs, which achieved similar antistatic and mechanical properties of the two structural WPCs. These results demonstrated that the low CB filled shell of HDPE composite exhibited a large reduction in its surface resistivity and a significant enhancement in its mechanical properties, which expands the application of coextruded WPCs in flammable and explosive uses while also improving the antistatic and mechanical properties.