Effect of Wood-derived Charcoal Content on Properties of Wood Plastic Composites

The effect of wood-derived charcoal flour on the water resistance and mechanical properties of wood plastic composite (WPC) panels was investigated. The hot press molded WPC panels were produced from polypropylene (37 wt%) with maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP, 3 wt%) and different mixtures of wood flour and charcoal flour. The amount of charcoal flour was gradually increased up to 60 wt%. The thickness swelling and water absorption of WPC panels considerably decreased with increasing charcoal flour content. The internal bond strength and bending properties of the WPC panels significantly improved with increasing charcoal flour content. This was mainly attributed to the high amount of pores and gaps in the charcoal flour. Melted polypropylene could get into the pores and gaps during the hot press molding, which lead to a better interfacial adhesion between polymer matrix and wood filler. The results showed that the charcoal flour could be partially substituted for the wood flour in the production of WPC panels having higher dimensional stability and internal bond strength

Hardness, Decay and Water Resistance of Polypropylene/Montmorillonite/Almond Shell Flour Composites

The effect of montmorillonite (MMT) loading (0, 2.5, and 5 wt%) and almond shell flour (ASF) content (30, 35, and 40 wt%) on the decay resistance, hardness, water resistance of injection molded polypropylene (PP) composites was investigated. The amount of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene was kept constant at 2% for all formulations. White-rot (Trametes versicolor) fungal treatment was applied to the produced composites for 14 weeks according to BS 838:1961 with the Petri dishes method. The weight loss of the composites decreased with increasing MMT content. The highest hardness (66 Shore D) was noted in the undecayed control composites (40ASF60PP0MMT) while the lowest hardness (61.3 Shore D) was recorded in the decayed control composites (30ASF70PP0MMT). The water absorption of the undecayed and decayed composites decreased with increasing amount montmorillonite at 30-40 wt% content of the ASF loading level. The water absorption of the decayed composites was higher than that of the undecayed composites but their thickness swelling was lower. Based on the findings obtained from the present study, a 35/5/65/2 formulation of the ASF/MMT/PP/MAPP can be used in outdoor applications requiring a high dimensional stability

Improved mechanical properties of cuonanostructured woven carbon fiber composite

In the present study, CuO nanostructured woven carbon fiber composite was developed. CuONanostructures functionalized to increase the impact energy absorption and mechanical properties of the composite, due to higher surface density of CuO crystalline structures and strongly adhesion energy between CuO and carbon fibers. The CuO nanostructured morphologies were formed form petal-like into cuboid-like by controlling growth temperature and time. The morphological investigations were performed by SEM

Carbon-nanomaterial-reinforced spread-tow carbon fiber/polypropylene composites

Polypropylene (PP) films reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs) were fabricated by extrusion, and the effects of filler type and take-up speed on the mechanical properties and microstructure of composite films were investigated. Multiscale hybrid composites consisting of unidirectional spread-tow carbon fibers (UDCF) and PP films reinforced with MWCNT and xGnP were manufactured by hot pressing, and the tensile and flexure tests and differential scanning calorimetry were performed to measure the mechanical properties and the degree of crystallinity, respectively. In parallel, modeling and simulation of CNM/PP composite films and CNM/UDCF/PP hybrid composites were carried out to predict the tensile properties taking into account the effects of CNM orientation. The mechanical properties of composites were most dominantly affected by the degrees of polymer crystallinity and CNM dispersion as well as CNM alignment