The thermo-oxidative durability of polyethylene reinforced with wood-based fibres

Aiming at better understanding the ageing behaviour of cellulose composites, the accelerated thermo-oxidative ageing of polyethylene reinforced with two types of wood-based cellulose fibres was studied. Materials were prepared by extrusion mixing of either un-stabilized or stabilized polyethylene reinforced with 5 and 20 vol % cellulose content. The materials were extruded into strips and then aged at 90 degrees C in circulating air. The effect of accelerated ageing up to 31 days was assessed by oxidation induction time and mechanical properties in tension. The results indicated that the added cellulose fibres did not increase the degradation of the composites during this ageing. Reinforcement with 20 % cellulose fibre having a 28 % lignin content together with 0.005 % Irganox 1010 antioxidant resulted in a remarkable improvement in the resistance against accelerated thermo-oxidation, compared to the pure polyethylene with added antioxidant. The findings of increased lifetime of LDPE by addition of wood-based reinforcement is of great interest, since the durability aspect is crucial to understand and predict before usage in commercial applications and especially as structural composites. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.