Abstract
The orthogonal design method was used to determine the optimum conditions for modifying poplar fibers through a high temperature and pressurized steam treatment for the subsequent preparation of wood fiber/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. The extreme difference, variance, and significance analyses were performed to reveal the effect of the modification parameters on the mechanical properties of the prepared composites, and they yielded consistent results. The main findings indicated that the modification temperature most strongly affected the mechanical properties of the prepared composites, followed by the steam pressure. A temperature of 170 °C, a steam pressure of 0.8 MPa, and a processing time of 20 min were determined as the optimum parameters for fiber modification. Compared to the composites prepared from untreated fibers, the tensile, flexural, and impact strength of the composites prepared from modified fibers increased by 20.17%, 18.5%, and 19.3%, respectively. The effect on the properties of the composites was also investigated by scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis. When the temperature, steam pressure, and processing time reached the highest values, the composites exhibited the best mechanical properties, which were also well in agreement with the results of the extreme difference, variance, and significance analyses. Moreover, the crystallinity and thermal stability of the fibers and the storage modulus of the prepared composites improved; however, the hollocellulose content and the pH of the wood fibers decreased.
Highlights
Wood plastic composites (WPCs), a new type of environmentally-friendly material involving the use of cellulose fibers as reinforcing agents in composite materials based on polymeric matrices, have already been widely utilized in various fields, such as architecture and parquet
With respect to the impact strength of the prepared WPCs, the R value corresponding to the steam temperature, steam pressure, and processing time are 4.08, 1.42, and 0.18, respectively
The R value corresponding to the steam temperature is the maximum, and it is the minimum for the processing time, and the results were consistent with those of the tensile and flexural strength of the prepared WPCs
Summary
Wood plastic composites (WPCs), a new type of environmentally-friendly material involving the use of cellulose fibers as reinforcing agents in composite materials based on polymeric matrices, have already been widely utilized in various fields, such as architecture and parquet They have recently attracted a growing interest, as shown by the large number of articles and reviews published during the past decade [1,2]. In order to improve the interfacial compatibility, a method for the chemical modification of the wood fibers, for e.g., alkaline treatment [5], acylation [6,7], etherification [8], or graft copolymerization [9], is generally employed, and the mechanical properties of the composites modified by all of these conventional treatments increase by 10%–35%, compared to the untreated composites This improvement is attributed to the elimination of impurities due to treatment and introduction of compatible molecular structure onto the wood fiber surfaces. The chemical modification of the wood fibers usually exhibits several disadvantages, such as high cost or complexity of the modification process, and environmental pollution caused by the processing methods
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