Abstract
The paper investigates the synthesis of eco-friendly composites and their properties before and after immersion in solvents of different chemical natures. For their preparation, unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) based on recycled poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and peanut shell powder (PSP) were used. Polymerization was carried out in the presence of environmentally friendly polymeric cobalt. Distilled water, acetone, 10% hydrochloric acid, 40% sodium hydroxide, toluene, and 2% sodium carbonate were used as solvents in the chemical resistance test. Changes in the structure, properties, and appearance (morphology) of composites after 140 days of immersion in solvents were investigated. The results show that both the resin and its composites show resistance towards 10% HCl and toluene. The immersion in water has no significant effect on the resin, but for PSP composites, the plasticizing effect of water was observed. In acetone, after only one day, the resin and its composite with 10% PSP shrink and fall into pieces. However, the most destructive is an alkaline environment. After the immersion test, a huge increase in mass and a deterioration of gloss and thermomechanical properties were observed. The destructive influence of the 40% NaOH environment mainly concerned the resin.
Highlights
Due to their excellent properties, polymer composites are used in a variety of industrial and household applications
The results of the CHNS analysis show that the peanut shell powder is composed of 46.05% carbon, 5.76% hydrogen, 1.37% nitrogen, and 46.82% oxygen
The results show that the commercially available resin based on recycled PET can be used for the preparation of homogeneous composites with peanut shell powder (PSP) up to 30%
Summary
Due to their excellent properties, polymer composites are used in a variety of industrial and household applications. The most frequently exploited fillings for composites were glass or carbon fibers [1,2,3]. To minimize the environmental pollution due to the use of synthetic composites, scientists’ present focus is on natural fillers. The properties of such biocomposites are not worse than those of the polymers constituting the matrix and, they have a greater chance to decompose in the natural environment. Compared to composites filled with glass and carbon fibers, they have undoubtedly lower thermal and chemical resistance and less stable mechanical properties over time, but they can be effectively used for immediate purposes [4,5,6,7,8]
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