STUDY ON MOLECULAR INTERACTION IN POLYFUNCTIONAL MALEIMIDE-MODIFIED POLYPROPYLENE PULP COMPOSITES BY ESCA, FTIR, AND DSC

Explosion fiber and polypropylene were separately modified with m-phen ylene bismaleimide. The surface properties of such a modified fiber we re characterized by ESCA measurements and the chemical structure was i dentified by FTIR and ESCA. The modified fiber and the modified polypr opylene were separately compounded with polypropylene and untreated fi ber, and composites with two different concentrations of modifiers wer e prepared by compression molding. Most of the mechanical properties w ere improved when modified fiber or modified polypropylene was used. T he modified composites also have better thermal properties. FTIR was u sed to quantify the adhesion between the fiber and polypropylene. It w as found that the modifying agent is covalently bonded to the fiber an d polypropylene. The change in percent crystallinity of polypropylene measured by DSC was found to be influenced by the presence of the modi fier in the composite. A better understanding of the nature of adhesio n has been achieved for the system.