Recycled Wood Fiber Reinforced Chemically Functionalized Polyethylene (VLDPE) Composites by Palsule Process

Fiber treatment process imparting treatments to natural fibers, Compatibilizer process, based on a coupling agent as a compatibilizer and Palsule process using a functionalized polymer as the matrix are the three processes for natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. This study is the first attempt to extend the Palsule process beyond maleic anhydride functionalized polymers by using a glycidylmethacrylate grafted VLDPE polymer, the chemically functionalized very low density polyethylene (CF-VLDPE), as the matrix and recycled wood fiber (RWF) as reinforcement to develop RWF/CF-VLDPE composites, by extrusion and injection molding. The composites show RWF/CF-VLDPE interfacial adhesion in the SEM micrographs and FTIR establishes etherification reaction and hydrogen bonding between the functional groups of RWF and of CF-VLDPE imparting this adhesion. With the increasing reinforcing RWF contents in the composites, their tensile properties increase. After being immersed in water for one year, the wet composites show lower properties than their dry counterparts but better properties than dry CF-VLDPE matrix. The study establishes that natural fiber reinforced glycidylmethacrylate functionalized polymer composites also can be developed by Palsule process.