Layered Composites Based on Recycled PET/Functionalized Woven Flax Fibres

Extended Abstract Plastic waste is generated by a variety of sources including packaging, automotive, consumer goods, electrical and electronics industries, leading to a significant growth in the volume of waste and the impetuous need to reduce it The paper aims at developing new layered composite materials based on recycled thermoplastic polymer (PETpolyethylene terephthalate) from the food industry reinforced with woven flax fiber functionalized with nano (micro) particles of titanium or alumina and testing the composite in terms of physico-mechanical (tensile strength, bending, shock, etc.), morphological (SEM), structural (FTIR), and thermal (Vicat) properties. Based on this technology, the new composite will exhibit improved physical, mechanical and thermal properties, as well as resistance to mold attack. In this regard, in the first stage, the surface of flax fibers were chemically modified using aluminum (AlCl3), and titanium (titanium butoxide) precursors followed by precipitation. The woven flax whose surface was functionalized with nano (micro) alumina or TiO2 particles were subsequently used to obtain layered composite materials. Layered composite materials were obtained by alternating functionalized / not functionalized woven flax fiber with sheets made from recycled PET. The recycled PET sheets and layered composites based on recycled PET and functionalized / not functionalized woven flax fiber were obtained by press molding using an electrical press at the following optimum parameters: plate temperature -254ºC, preheating time -8 min; pressing time -2 min; cooling time -15 min; pressing force -100 kN. Special attention must be paid to the pre-drying process (at 100-110ºC) to remove adsorbed water. In the absence of the pre-drying operation, the resulting sheets exhibit holes, porosity and discontinuities, making them unusable for the development of layered composite materials. Physical, mechanical and thermal analyses results for specimens of layered composite materials based on recycled PET / functionalised woven flax fiber show significantly improved values compared with the control samples obtained from recycled PET / not functionalized flax fiber. Improved mechanical and thermal properties are due to links developed at the woven flax fiber / polymer phase interphase. Results have also been confirmed by SEM, while the degree of adhesion and the interpenetration of polymer phase / woven flax fiber are superior in the case of composites made of functionalized flax fibers in comparison with the unfunctionalized ones

Mechanical Properties and Equilibrium Swelling Characteristics of Some Polymer Composites Based on Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) Reinforced with Hemp Fibers

EPDM/hemp fiber composites with fiber loading of 0–20 phr were prepared by the blending technique on a laboratory electrically heated roller mill. Test specimens were obtained by vulcanization using a laboratory hydraulic press. The elastomer crosslinking and the chemical modification of the hemp fiber surface were achieved by a radical reaction mechanism initiated by di(tert-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene. The influence of the fiber loading on the mechanical properties, gel fraction, swelling ratio and crosslink degree was investigated. The gel fraction, crosslink density and rubber–hemp fiber interaction were evaluated based on equilibrium solvent-swelling measurements using the Flory–Rehner relation and Kraus and Lorenz–Park equations. The morphology of the EPDM/hemp fiber composites was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The water absorption increases as the hemp fiber loading increases