Composites from Brazilian natural fibers with polypropylene: mechanical and thermal properties

Abstract

Brazil has a well established ethanol production program based on sugarcane. Sugarcane bagasse and straw are the main by-products that may be used as reinforcement in natural fiber composites. Current work evaluated the influence of fiber insertion within a polypropylene (PP) matrix by tensile, TGA and DSC measurements. Thus, the mechanical properties, weight loss, degradation, melting and crystallization temperatures, heat of melting and crystallization and percentage of crystallinity were attained. Fiber insertion in the matrix improved the tensile modulus and changed the thermal stability of composites (intermediary between neat fibers and PP). The incorporation of natural fibers in PP promoted also apparent T c and ΔH c increases. As a conclusion, the fibers added to polypropylene increased the nucleating ability, accelerating the crystallization process, improving the mechanical properties and consequently the fiber/matrix interaction.