Influence of Different Diss Fiber Treatments over the Properties of Poly Propylene/Recycled and Regenerated Low Density Polyethylene Based Biocomposites

This study aims the valorization of diss fibers for the production of biocomposites based on blends of recycled and regenerated low density polyethylene (rLDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Thus, the study of different diss fibers treatments was carried out to achieve the best performance of the final biocomposites. The polymeric blends were prepared by using PP/rLDPE (75/25) matrix and adding nano Si particles as reinforcement and maleic anhydride functionalized ethylene copolymer rubber/SiO2(MAC/SiO2) as compatibilizer. Based on this formulation, different biocomposites were prepared by introducing untreated (UDF), thermally treated (TTDF) and chemically treated (CTDF) diss fibers. Several techniques were used for the characterization of the diss fibers and the final biocomposites. The effect of the fiber treatments was assessed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). On the other side, the biocomposites were tested for different parameters such as mechanical properties (tensile test) and thermal stability (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry). Besides other techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to determine the morphology of the materials. The final results showed an improvement of the mechanical properties and a satisfactory interfacial adhesion after the introduction of the treated diss fiber into the polymeric matrix, especially in the case of the thermally treated ones. Furthermore, thermal stability was not compromised after the addition of the fibers.