Improved hygrothermal durability of flax/polypropylene composites after chemical treatments through a hybrid approach

There are growing research interests in flax fibers due to their renewable ‘green’ origin and high strength. However, these natural fibers easily absorb moisture and have poor adhesion with polymer matrix leading to low interfacial strength for the composites. A hybrid chemical treatment technique c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellulose (London) 2021-11, Vol.28 (17), p.11209-11229
Main Authors: Xiao, Xiong,  Zhong, Yucheng, Cheng, Mingyang, Sheng, Lei, Wang, Dan, Li, Shuxin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Bioorganic Chemistry
Bonding strength
Ceramics
Chemical composition
Chemical treatment
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Composites
Fiber composites
Flax
Glass
Interfacial bonding
Interfacial strength
Moisture
Moisture absorption
Morphology
Natural Materials
Organic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Polymer matrix composites
Polymer Sciences
Polypropylene
Silanes
Sodium hydroxide
Surface chemistry
Sustainable Development
Tensile properties
Vegetable fibers
Wettability
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Summary:There are growing research interests in flax fibers due to their renewable ‘green’ origin and high strength. However, these natural fibers easily absorb moisture and have poor adhesion with polymer matrix leading to low interfacial strength for the composites. A hybrid chemical treatment technique combining alkali (sodium hydroxide) and silane treatments is adopted in the current study to modify flax fibers for improved performances of flax/polypropylene composites. Changes in chemical composition, microstructure, wettability, surface morphology, crystallinity and tensile properties of single flax fiber before and after chemical treatments were comprehensively characterized using techniques including SEM, FTIR, AFM, XRD, micro-fiber tester, etc. It was found that hemicellulose and lignin at the fiber surface were removed due to alkali treatment, which helped to reduce moisture absorption of the composites. Alkali-treated flax fibers were later subjected to silane treatment, which helped to improve the compatibility between flax fiber and polypropylene matrix. After alkali-silane hybrid chemical treatment, moisture absorption of the composites was further decreased. At the same time, the interfacial bonding strength between flax and polypropylene is significantly enhanced. All these results validate the great advantage of the hybrid chemical treatment approach for flax/polypropylene composites, which has the potential to promote the application of chemical treatment techniques in the plant fiber composite industry. Graphic abstract
ISSN:0969-0239
1572-882X
DOI:10.1007/s10570-021-04179-w