Insight into the surface properties of wood fiber-polymer composites

Pušnik Črešnar, Klementina (author), Bek, Marko (author), Luxbacher, Thomas (author), Brunčko, Mihael (author), Fras Zemljič, Lidija (author)

The surface properties of wood fiber (WF) filled polymer composites depend on the filler loading and are closely related to the distribution and orientation in the polymer matrix. In this study, wood fibers (WF) were incorporated into thermoplastic composites based on non-recycled polypropylene (PP) and recycled (R-PP) composites by melt compounding and injection moulding. ATR-FTIR (attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) measurements clearly showed the propagation of WF functional groups at the surface layer of WF-PP/WF-R-PP composites preferentially with WF loading up to 30%. Optical microscopy and nanoindentation method confirmed the alignment of thinner skin layer of WF-PP/WF-R-PP composites with increasing WF addition. The thickness of the skin layer was mainly influenced by the WF loading. The effect of the addition of WF on modulus and hardness, at least at 30 and 40 wt.%, varies for PP and R-PP matrix. On the other hand, surface zeta potential measurements show increased hydrophilicity with increasing amounts of WF. Moreover, WF in PP/R-PP matrix is also responsible for the antioxidant properties of these composites as measured by DPPH (2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay.

• Language: English
• Keywords: wood-fibers polypropylene composites, surface properties, skin-core structure, sustainable and biodegradable composites, ATR-FTIR, zeta potential measurement, nanoindentation, DPPH assay
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 24 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 10, art. 1535
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-127415
• UDC: 677.017:544.7
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym13101535
• COBISS.SI-ID: 62964739
• Publication date in RUL: 04.06.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 11.05.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: lesna vlakna, polipropilenski kompoziti, površinske lastnosti vlaken, struktura skorja-jedro, biorazgradljivi kompoziti, meritve zeta potenciala, nanovtiskovanje