Abstract
This article describes the results of an investigation on the influence of loading silane treated sugar cane bagasse (SB) on the morphology and properties of recycled polypropylene (rPP). The samples are prepared through melt extrusion followed by injection moulding. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that SB-rPP composites have a fairly strong interfacial interaction and a change in crystallization for the highest containing SB composite, however, some fibre pull-outs are observed as the SB content is increased. The interaction influences the thermal and mechanical properties of the samples in a complex way. There are strong indications of a stronger interfacial interaction on the highest containing SB composite, which is supposedly accountable for the increased crystallinity and melting temperature.
Highlights
Interest in composite materials reinforced with natural fibres has recently increased considerably due to some natural benefits of the fibres
It is possible to see the isolation of fibre in the 5% sugar cane bagasse (SB) composites and a trapped broken fibre by recycled polypropylene (rPP) matrix at interface (Figure 1(A) and Figure 1(B)), which suggests that the SB is well dispersed in rPP matrix with a strong interaction at interface
More fibre ends appeared in the highest SB containing composites with the larger fibre pull-outs, some remained trapped in rPP
Summary
Interest in composite materials reinforced with natural fibres has recently increased considerably due to some natural benefits of the fibres. Other necessary properties related to processing include lower equipment abrasion and lower energy consumption For these reasons natural fibres reinforced polymers have dominated applications such as furniture, architectural materials and lately in automotive industry in commercial marketplaces [5]-[7]. Sugar cane bagasse (SB) was pre-treated by mechanical activation (MA) using a self-designed stirring ball mill and a surface modification by using aluminate coupling agent (ACA). Both untreated and treated SBs were used to produce composites with PVC as polymer matrix. RPP has higher biodegradation rate compared to PP [20]
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