K. Joseph et al., EFFECT OF CHEMICAL TREATMENT ON THE TENSILE PROPERTIES OF SHORT SISALFIBER-REINFORCED POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITES, Polymer, 37(23), 1996, pp. 5139-5149
The effect of chemical treatment on the tensile properties of sisal fi
bre-reinforced LDPE (low density polyethylene) composites was investig
ated. Treatments using chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, isocyanate,
permanganate and peroxide were carried out to improve the bonding at
the fibre-polymer interface. The treatments enhanced the tensile prope
rties of the composites considerably, but to varying degrees. The SEM
(scanning electron microscopy) photomicrographs of fracture surfaces o
f the treated composites clearly indicated the extent of fibre-matrix
interface adhesion. It has been demonstrated that the CTDIC (cardanol
derivative of toluene diisocyanate) treatment reduced the hydrophilic
nature of the sisal fibre and thereby enhanced the tensile properties
of the sisal-LDPE composites. The SEM photomicrographs of the fracture
surfaces have also shown that PE was highly bonded to the sisal fibre
in CTDIC treated composites. The observed enhancement in tensile prop
erties with the addition of small amounts of peroxides was attributed
to the peroxide induced grafting of PE on to sisal fibre surfaces, as
evident from the SEM photomicrographs of the fracture surfaces. It has
been found that a low concentration of permanganate in the sisal-LDPE
system during mixing considerably enhanced the mechanical properties.
Among the various treatments, peroxide treatment of fibre imparted ma
ximum interfacial interactions. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Lt
d.