Premium
Effect of silica nanopowder on the properties of wood flour/polymer composite
Author(s) -
Deka Biplab K.,
Maji Tarun K.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.23097
Subject(s) - materials science , wood flour , low density polyethylene , composite material , polymer , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , scanning electron microscope , thermal stability , high density polyethylene , polyethylene , polyvinyl chloride , glycidyl methacrylate , composite number , ultimate tensile strength , chemical engineering , polymerization , engineering
Low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (1:1:1:0.5) were solution blended by using a mixture of solvents consisting of xylene and tetrahydrofuran (THF) (70:30). SiO 2 nanoparticles were modified by cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Wood polymer composites (WPC) were prepared by using polymer mixture, polyethylene‐ co ‐glycidyl methacrylate (PE‐ co ‐GMA), wood flour, and modified SiO 2 . X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that the intensity of the peaks of polymer mixture decreased due to incorporation of SiO 2 . The dispersion of SiO 2 nanoparticles and morphological characteristics were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The interaction between SiO 2 nanoparticles, PE‐ co ‐GMA, polymer mixture, and wood was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Tensile and flexural properties of the composites improved significantly due to the incorporation of SiO 2 nanoparticles. Thermal stability, hardness, flame retardancy, and water resistance capacity were also found to enhance. Maximum improvement in properties was observed by the inclusion of 3 phr modified SiO 2 in WPC. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers