Low density polyethylene composites based on flax fibers modified by a combination of coupling agent

Abstract

AbstractThis investigation proposes a natural fiber surface modification approach based on the use of a system of coupling agents (CAs) to improve the mechanical properties of polymer composites made of flax fibers and low‐density polyethylene. This system combines the coating of the NaOH treated (mercerized) flax fibers by a CA (Epolene C18 [M‐C18]) in a solution under moderated heat (70°C–80°C), followed by the addition of 1% or 3% wt. of another CA (Epolene E43 [M‐E43]) during the injection molding. The comparison between the solution modified and the neat and mercerized flax fibers using scanning electron micrograph (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and density underscored some differences ascribed to the presence of M‐C18 onto the modified fibers. The mechanical properties showed that the combination of solution modification and direct introduction during the injection‐molding step of 1% of M‐E43 was efficient as the corresponding composites exhibited an improvement of 9.1%, 15.9%, and 11.1% of his tensile, flexural, and impact strengths respectively compared to the neat fiber composite. Due to their good impact and flexural strengths, these composites can be suitable for automotive parts such as keyboard.