Study of polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer blends reinforced with sisal fibers

Thermoplastics reinforced with natural fibers have attracted much attention from researchers because of their advantages, especially regarding environmental aspects. However, poor impact strength, particularly at low temperatures, limits the application of some thermoplastics, such as polypropylene (PP). To minimize this drawback, impact modifiers have been used, including the terpolymer of ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM). In this work, PP/EPDM/sisal composites of distinct compositions were investigated focusing on the effect of the alkali (NaOH) treatment of the vegetable fiber on the composites properties regarding physical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological behavior. The results indicated that flow rate decreases at higher fiber content due to flow hindering by the presence of the fibers. The addition of the fiber, in general, increased Young's modulus and strength (tensile and flexural), whereas impact strength increased for higher EPDM content. The alkali treatment was considered generally efficient in terms of mechanical properties, even though this was not found in the dynamic mechanical analysis. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. (C) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers