Incorporation of rice husk ash (RHA) fillers into polypropylene affect
ed some of the thermal properties of polypropylene composites. Additio
n of the black rice husk ash (BRHA) filler raised the thermal degradat
ion temperature while maintaining the oxidative stability. The thermal
degradation temperature of the white rice husk ash (WRHA) composites
was found to be independent of filler loading but the oxidative stabil
ity deteriorated with increasing filler content. DSC studies indicated
that both white and black RHA fillers act as weak nucleation agents a
nd increase the degree of crystallinity of polypropylene by a small ma
rgin. Addition of the RHA fillers reduced the linear thermal expansion
coefficient of the composites. Dynamic mechanical studies showed that
the RHA composites with higher filler content have higher storage mod
ulus. Tan delta curves of the composites indicated that WRHA filler in
creased the damping property while the BRHA filler had an opposite eff
ect.