New environmentally friendly polypropylene hybrid composites

Abstract

Recycled polypropylene (RPP) based hybrid composites of date palm wood flour/glass fibre were prepared by different weight ratios of the two reinforcements. The mixing process was carried out in an extruder and samples were prepared by an injection molding machine. RPP properties were improved by reinforcing it by wood flour. Morphological studies indicated that glass fiber has good adhesion with RPP supporting the improvement of the mechanical properties of hybrid composites with glass fiber addition. An increase in wood particle content in the polypropylene resulted in a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of the polymer. The tensile strength of the composites increased with an increase in the percentage of crystallinity when adding the glass fibre. The improvement in the mechanical properties with the increase in crystallinity percentage (and with the decrease of the lamellar thicknesses) can be attributed to the constrained region between the lamellae because the agglomeration is absent in this case.