• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.51-63
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• 2024

Polypropylene (PP) is a commodity plastic that is widely used owing to its cost-effectiveness, lightweight nature, easy processability, and outstanding chemical and thermomechanical characteristics. However, the imperative to address energy and environmental crises has spurred global initiatives toward a circular economy, necessitating sustainable alternatives to traditional fossil-fuel-derived plastics. In this study, we conducted a series of comparative investigations of bio-based polypropylene (bio-PP) blends with current PP of the same and different grades. An extrusion-based processing methodology was employed for the bio-PP composites. Talc was used as an active filler for the preparation of the composites. A comparative analysis with the current petroleum-based PP indicated that the thermal properties and tensile characteristics of the bio-PP blends and composites remained largely unaltered, signifying the feasibility of bio-PP as a potential substitute for the current PP. To achieve a higher Young's modulus, elongation at break (EAB), and melt flow index (MFI), we prepared different composites of PP of different grades and bio-PP with varying talc contents. Interestingly, at higher biomass contents, the composites exhibited higher MFI and EAB values with comparable Young's moduli. Notably, the impact strengths of the composites with various biomass and talc contents remained unaltered. In-depth investigations through surface analysis confirmed the uniform dispersion of talc within the composite matrix. Furthermore, the moldability of the bio-PP composites was substantiated by comprehensive rheological property assessments encompassing shear rate and shear viscosity. Thus, from these outcomes, the fabricated bio-PP-based composites could be an alternative to petroleum-based PP composites for sustainable automobile applications.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.411-417
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• 2008

The surfaces of henequen fibers, which can be obtained from the leaves of agave plants, were treated with two different media, tap water and sodium hydroxide, that underwent both soaking and ultrasonic methods for the fiber surface treatment. Various biocomposites were fabricated with untreated and treated, chopped henequen fibers and polypropylene using a compression molding method. The result is discussed in terms of interfacial shear strength, flexural properties, dynamic mechanical properties, and fracture surface observations of the biocomposites. The soaking (static method) and ultrasonic (dynamic method) treatments with tap water and sodium hydroxide at different concentrations and treatment times significantly influenced the interfacial, flexural and dynamic mechanical properties of henequen/polypropylene biocomposites. The alkali treatment was more effective than the water treatment in improving the interfacial and mechanical properties of randomly oriented, chopped henequen/PP bio-composites. In addition, the application of the ultrasonic method to each treatment was relatively more effective in increasing the properties than the soaking method, depending on the treatment medium and condition. The greatest improvement in the properties studied was achieved by ultrasonic alkalization of natural fibers, which was in agreement with the other results of interfacial shear strength, flexural strength and modulus, storage modulus, and fracture surfaces.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.315-334
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• 2007

In the present study, chopped henequen natural fibers without and with surface modification by electron beam (E-beam) treatment were incorporated into a polypropylene matrix. Prior to composite fabrication, a bundle of raw henequen fibers were treated at various E-beam intensities from 10 kGy to 500 kGy. The effect of E-beam intensity on the interfacial, mechanical and thermal properties of randomly oriented henequen/polypropylene composites with the fiber contents of 40 vol% was investigated focusing on the interfacial shear strength, flexural and tensile properties, dynamic mechanical properties, thermal stability, and fracture behavior. Each characteristic of the material strongly depended on the E-beam intensity irradiated, showing an increasing or decreasing effect. The present study demonstrates that henequen fiber surfaces can be modified successfully with an appropriate dosage of electron beam and use of a low E-beam intensity of 10 kGy results in the improvement of the interfacial properties, flexural properties, tensile properties, dynamic mechanical properties and thermal stability of henequen/polypropylene composites.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.38-45
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• 2006

The main objective of this study is the improvement of the interfacial adhesion of RHF-polypropylene (PP) bio-composites through NaOH and acetic acid treated RHF. After manufacturing of untreated and NaOH and acetic acid treated RHF filled PP bio-composites, the effect on interfacial adhesion of bio-composites was investigated. Tensile strength of the bio-composites made from treated RHF with NaOH and acetic acid was higher than that of the untreated bio-composites. The RHF surface before and after NaOH and acetic acid treatment was clearly confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph. It was found that both treatments result in a removal of impurity materials of RHF surface by SEM micrographs. The chemical structures of untreated and NaOH and acetic acid treated RHF were confirmed by fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The crystallization structure and crystallinity of non-treated, NaOH and acetic acid treated RHF were investigated by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS).

• KSBB Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.235-240
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• 2002

The surface of polypropylene was modified by 1 keV $Ar^+$ ion beam in an $O_2$ environment in order to enhance wettability. Contact angle of deionized water on modified polypropylene was reduced from $78^{\circ}$to $22^{\circ}$. The enhanced wettability is originated from newly formed functional groups such as ether, carbonyl, and carbonyl groups. During immersion in deionized water, the enhanced wettability has remained nearly same. After washing in water, the hydrophilic functional groups on the polymer surface have been very stable. The modified polypropylene was adopted as bio-film media to remove organics in synthetic wastewater. Microbe adhesion on the polypropylene surface was improved due to the newly formed hydrophilic groups.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.318-323
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• 2011

To recycle the waste tire rubber powder, rubber powder composite for waterproof sheet was prepared, and analyzed the effect of the kind of resin and the amount of crosslinking agent on the mechanical property of the composites. The elongation-at-break of the PE composite increased more than 3 times as EPDM was added into rubber composites. As the content of the crosslinking agent increased, the tensile strength of composite increased as well. When recycled polypropylene was used, the increase in composite's tensile strength was more than 3 times. Therefore to use the recycled PP in composite is more effective rather than PP in term mechanical properties.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.16-23
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• 2008

In this study, novel waste wool/polypropylene NFRPs (natural fiber reinforced polymer composites), which are constituted with waste wool discarded as industrial scrap during manufacturing processes of woven fabrics and general purpose thermoplastic polypropylene (PP), were fabricated by means of compressionmolding and their mechanical and thermal properties were characterized. The mechanical properties of PP resin were significantly improved by an introduction of waste wool to PP. In particular, as the loading of waste wool was 50 vol% in the NFRP, the flexural strength of the NFRP was increased about 20%, the flexural modulus about 143%, the tensile strength about 76%, and the tensile modulus about 90% in comparison with each of PP control. In addition, the maximum value of the heat deflection temperature (HDT) obtained with the NFRP was $138^{\circ}C$ at a 50 vol% loading of waste wool. This is $21^{\circ}C$ higher than the HDT of PP control. The result here suggests that waste wool be a potential candidate for a reinforcing material of thermoplastic matrix resins.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.6 s.134
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• pp.55-62
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• 2005

This study was conducted to evaluate the application of a bio-composite made by the addition recycled fiber board flour as filler. Recycled fiber board (high density fiber board, HDF) flour was added to polyolefin polymer low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) for the preparation of bio-composite materials. The mechanical properties and processability of the recycled HDF flour filled LDPE and recycled HDF flour filled PP bio-composites were then measured and compared to those of wood flour (WF) and rice-husk flour (RHF) filled LDPE and PP bio-composites, respectively. The tensile and impact strengths of the recycled HDF flour filled LDPE and PP bio-composites had similar mechanical properties to those of the WF and RHF filled LDPE and PP bio-composites. To measure the processability, torques of the bio-composites were also measured. The torques of the HDF flour filled LDPE and PP bio-composites were lower than those of the WF and RHF filled polyolefin (PP and LDPE) bio-composites with a filler loading of 30 wt.%. This result showed definite processability, which was not related with the distribution of the particle size of the material added. The recycled fiber board flour filled bio-composites showed applicability as substitutes for the bio-composites currently used in the bio-composites industry.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.261-268
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• 2010

Phase change materials based on polypropylene blended with n-eicosane were studied in this paper. In addition, this paper reviews recent studies on the preparation of shape stabilized phase change materials (SSPCM), such as SSPCM from polypropylenes and n-eicosane, their basic properties and possible applications to latent heat storage. The preparation methods used were the melting method and absorption methods. Shape stabilized PCM(SSPCM) prepared for DSC, WAXD, FTIR spectroscopy, ARES, results of the analysis of shape stability heat capacity to improve were identified.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.264-269
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• 2023

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are a ubiquitous byproduct of coffee consumption, representing a significant waste management challenge, as well as an untapped resource for economic development and sustainability. Improper disposal of SCG can result in environmental problems such as methane emissions and leachate production. This study aims to investigate the physicochemical properties of SCG and their potential as a reinforcement material in polypropylene (PP) to fabricate an eco-friendly composite via extrusion and injection molding, with SCG filler ratios ranging from 5-20%. To evaluate the effect of SCG on the morphological and mechanical properties of the bio- composite, thermogravimetric analysis, SEM, tensile, flexural, and impact tests were conducted. The results demonstrated that the addition of SCG lead to a slight increase in brittleness of the composite but did not significantly affect its mechanical properties. Impressively, the presence of a significant organic component in SCG contributed to the enhanced thermal performance of PP/SCG composites. This improvement was evident in terms of increased thermal stability, delayed onset of degradation, and higher maximum degradation temperature as compared to pure PP. These findings suggest that SCG has potential as a filler material for PP composites, with the ability to enhance the material's properties without compromising overall performance.