Behavior of polyolefin blends with acetylated sisal fibers

The influence of acetylation on the mechanical, thermal and thermodegradati ve behavior of sisal fiber-reinforced PP, PP/HDPE and PP/HDPE with function alized and non-functionalized EPR composites was studied. Acetylation of th e fiber improves adhesion of the fiber to the polyolefin matrix. In general , acetylation of the sisal fiber was found to enhance the tensile strength and modulus of the resulting composites, except in some cases. Thermal prop erties suggest that the mixing and molding temperatures are between 160 and 230 degreesC and that when acetylated fiber is mixed with polyolefins, gre ater polymer-fiber interactions takes place, which slightly favor stability of these composite materials. The results allow us to suggest that a satis factory profit/cost relation justifies the addition of acetylated fiber to PP, PP/HDPE, and PP/HDPE/EPR. (C) 2000 Society of Chemical Industry.