Bamboo fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites: Crystallization and interfacial morphology

✍ Scribed by Yongli Mi; Xiaoya Chen; Qipeng Guo

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 248 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19970516)64:7<1267::aid-app4>3.0.co;2-h

✦ Synopsis

Bamboo fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared. PP and two maleated polypropylenes (s-MAPP and m-MAPP) were used as matrices. Crystallization and interfacial morphology were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and optical microscopy. It has been shown that the addition of bamboo fiber to any of the three polymers causes an increase in the overall crystallization rate. A considerable amount of b-form crystallinity was produced in the PP, s-MAPP, and m-MAPP by mixing with bamboo fiber; and all the bamboo fiber-filled samples contain both the aand the b-forms. The relative amount of the b-form in the samples was calculated from WAXD data by the K value. There is no b-form observed in the pure PP, s-MAPP, and m-MAPP. Bamboo fiber acted as both a reinforcement and a b-nucleator. The nucleation density of both s-MAPP and m-MAPP at the fiber surface is remarkably higher than that of PP because an improved interfacial adhesion is reached in the case of s-MAPP and m-MAPP as matrices. The transcrystalline growth of s-MAPP and m-MAPP on the bamboo fiber surface was observed under optical microscope with crossed polars.