Abstract
The use of rice husks (RH) to reinforce polymers in biocomposites are increasing tremendously. However, the incompatibility between the hydrophilic RH fibers and the hydrophobic thermoplastic matrices leads to unsatisfactory biocomposites. Surface modification of the fiber surface was carried out to improve the adhesion between fiber and matrix. In this study, the effect of surface modification of RH via alkali, acid and ultraviolet-ozonolysis (UV/O3) treatments on the properties of composites recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) composites was investigated. The untreated and treated RH were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The composites containing 30 wt% of RH (treated and untreated) were then prepared via extrusion and followed by compression molding. As compared to untreated RH, all surface treated RH exhibited rougher surface and showed improved adhesion with rHDPE matrix. Tensile strength of UV/O3-treated RH composites showed an optimum result at 18.37 MPa which improved about 5% in comparison to the composites filled with untreated RH. UV/O3 treatment promotes shorter processing time and lesser raw material waste during treatment process where this is beneficial for commercialization in the future developments of wood plastic composites (WPCs). Therefore, UV/O3 treatment can be served as an alternative new method to modify RH surface in order to improve the adhesion between hydrophilic RH fibre and hydrophobic rHDPE polymer matrix.
Highlights
There is an increase of research studies and progresses in the wood plastic composite (WPC) technology
The absorption vibration that is appeared in 1638–1676 cm-1 for untreated rice husks (RH) represents to the vibration of carbonyl from carboxylic groups in ester linkages which are attributed to the wax and natural fats, as proposed by Trejo-O’reilly [33]
The peak intensity at this absorption vibration range is found to decrease upon the treatments, which indicates the removal of wax and natural fats
Summary
There is an increase of research studies and progresses in the wood plastic composite (WPC) technology. The use of natural fibers to reinforce polymers is known as a well-established practice. Biocomposites have been used in various sectors such as automotive and construction to a great extent. One of a specific class of biocomposites is green composites where a bio-based polymer matrix is reinforced with natural fibers and they are growing tremendously in polymer science [1].
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