Investigation of the thermal and mechanical behavior of recycled low-density polyethylene/Hemp fiber composites containing paraffin wax

Abstract

In this research, the thermal and mechanical properties of Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/Hemp fibre composites were analyzed to determine if maleic anhydride-grafted hard paraffin wax (MA-g-wax) and oxidized hard paraffin wax (Ox-Wax) might be used as compatibilizers. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicates that adding Hemp by itself had no effect on the crystallization behavior of LDPE, but that adding wax to LDPE or having Hemp present both affected the crystallization behavior of LDPE in different ways. Both the waxes' varying compatibility with LDPE and the preference for crystallization around the short Hemp fibres appear to play a role in the latter's thermal characteristics. The TGA data demonstrates that both waxes contribute to greater thermal stability in the blends, with LDPE/Ox-Wax exhibiting the most improvement. However, using wax in the mix reduced the LDPE/Hemp/wax thermal stability of the composites. When added to composites, Ox-Wax and MA-g-wax produced identical results in terms of tensile strength. While the compatibilized composites' modulus was increased by both waxes, they decreased the tensile strengths in both cases, most likely because of the poor adhesion between LDPE and the waxes.