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Properties of wood polymer composites based on polypropylene/olive wood flour: effects of fiber treatment and compatibilizer

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Abstract

In this study, wood polymer composites (WPC) were produced by polypropylene (PP) as the matrix material and 30 wt% olive wood flour (OWF) as the filler material, for injection applications. Various treatments of OWF—including single treatment or co-modifications using the silane treatment, heat treatment, and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) compatibilizer—were used to improve PP/OWF compatibility and mechanical properties. Structural and thermal characterization of the OWF after treatment has been implemented using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). FTIR and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses revealed the interactions between OWF and silane coupling agent. Silane and heat treatments increased the thermal stability of OWF. Results of mechanical tests revealed that the OWF increased Young's modulus values of PP/OWF composites with respect to those of pure PP, while their tensile and impact strengths decreased. Moreover, heat and MAPP treatments enhanced the mechanical properties. Heat treatment introduced higher toughness in PP/OWF composites compared to the other treatments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the evidence of the improved interfacial adhesion and consequently mechanical properties of the PP/OWF composites by the used treatments. A further enhancement in mechanical properties was recorded for these wood polymer composites with co-modifications of OWF with MAPP.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Polymers, Composites, and Hybrids (PCH) team of the Materials Center of IMT Mines Alès (C2MA), France for donating the necessary raw materials and instruments. They would also like to thank Dr. H. Souissi (Assistant Professor of English language at Imam Ibn Saud Islamic University) for a grant support to edit the language for this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Electromechanical Systems (LASEM), National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Slim Souissi, Ferdaous Lachtar & Ahmed Elloumi

  2. Polymers Composites and Hybrids (PCH), IMT Mines Ales, Ales, France

    Ferdaous Lachtar & Anne Bergeret

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  1. Slim Souissi
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  2. Ferdaous Lachtar
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Correspondence to Slim Souissi.

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Souissi, S., Lachtar, F., Elloumi, A. et al. Properties of wood polymer composites based on polypropylene/olive wood flour: effects of fiber treatment and compatibilizer. Iran Polym J 31, 1511–1521 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-022-01089-x

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