Premium
Effects of copper amine treatment on mechanical properties of PVC/wood‐flour composites
Author(s) -
Jiang Haihong,
Kamdem D. Pascal
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of vinyl and additive technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.295
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1548-0585
pISSN - 1083-5601
DOI - 10.1002/vnl.20010
Subject(s) - wood flour , materials science , composite material , copper , flexural strength , toughness , scanning electron microscope , polyvinyl chloride , izod impact strength test , vinyl chloride , ultimate tensile strength , polymer , metallurgy , copolymer
Copper amine–treated wood flour was added to PVC [poly(vinyl chloride)] matrix in order to manufacture PVC/wood‐flour composites. Effects of copper treatments on the mechanical properties of PVC‐wood composites were evaluated. Unnotched impact strength, flexural strength, and flexural toughness of the composites were significantly improved by the wood‐flour copper treatment. The optimum copper concentration range was 0.2 to 0.6 wt% of wood flour. Fractured surfaces were examined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). PVC/wood interfacial debonding was the main fracture mode of untreated wood‐flour composites, whereas wood‐particle pullout and breakage dominating the fractured surfaces of copper‐treated wood‐flour composites. On the fractured surfaces, more PVC could be found on the exposed copper‐treated wood particles than on untreated wood, a result suggesting improved PVC‐wood interfacial adhesion after copper treatments. J. Vinyl Addit. Technol. 10:70–78, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.