The Influence of Alkali Treatment and Coupling Agent on Mechanical and Chemical Resistance Properties of Polymeric Material Reinforced Via Natural Fiber

Abstract

The objective of this study is to manufacture a new composite material using thermoplastic resin and natural plant fiber from renewable resources. This research was carried out by reinforcing low density polyethylene (LDPE) resin with untreated and chemically treated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) fiber. The composites reinforced with sugarcane bagasse fibers were manufactured using an injection molding process with different fiber content (10, 20, and 30%) by weight of sugarcane fiber. Also maleic anhydride was used as a coupling agent in the formulation to improve the interfacial bonding. After preparing the composite materials, the mechanical properties such as impact strength, hardness and chemical resistance of composites were studied to find the industrial suitability of the composites. The results indicated that there are an enhancement in the mechanical properties for treated with MAPP exhibited the higher values of impact strength (104 MPa) and hardness (93.92 KJ/m2) than the control sample. The results also indicated that chemical resistance decreases with increasing fiber content. But it was found that the addition of maleic anhydride (MA) along with the composites improve the chemical resistance of the composites.