Poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-based biocomposites containing flax fiber (FF) and basalt fiber (BF) both separately and together were prepared by melt blending method at the total constant ratio of 30 wt%. Mechanical properties, thermo-mechanical characteristics, thermal stability, flow behaviors, water uptake, and morphology of composites were investigated by tensile, hardness and impact tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermal gravimetric analysis, melt flow index (MFI) test, water absorption, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Mechanical test results show that tensile strength, elongation, elastic modulus, and impact strength are extended up to higher values with increase in BF content in hybrid composites. Conversely, the presence of FF displays a negative effect in which these values drop down drastically as the FF concentration increases. On the other hand, slightly higher hardness values are obtained by the addition of FF at higher loadings. DMA analysis reveals that BF inclusion leads glass transition temperature of PLA to one point higher, but hybrid and FF containing composites shift that temperature to lower values. Storage moduli of composites are enhanced with the increase in BF concentration and remarkable decreases are observed for FF-filled composites. Hybrid composites exhibit average MFI values between PLA/FF and PLA/BF composites.

AbstractChopped jute fiber (JF) surfaces were modified using alkaline, silane and eco-grade epoxy resin. Surface characteristics of jute fibers were confirmed by FTIR and EDX analyses. JF filled polyurethane elastomer (TPU) composites were prepared via extrusion process. The effect of surface modifications of JF on mechanical, thermo-mechanical, melt-flow, water uptake and morphological properties of TPU-based eco-composites were investigated by tensile and hardness tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), melt flow index (MFI) test, water absorption measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, respectively. Mechanical test results showed that silane and epoxy treated JF additions led to increase in tensile strength, modulus and hardness of TPU. Glass transition temperature (Tg) of TPU rose up to higher values after JF inclusions regardless of treatment type. Si-JF filled TPU exhibited the lowest water absorption among composites. Surface treated JFs displayed homogeneous dispersion into TPU and their surface were covered by TPU according to SEM micro-photographs.

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer was filled with perlite mineral (PER) at four different loading level of 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 15%. ABS/PER composites were produced using labscale micro-compounder followed by injection molding process. Mechanical, thermo-mechanical, melt-flow and morphological properties of composites were reported by tensile and impact tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), melt flow index (MFI) test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Mechanical characterizations revealed that tensile strength, elongation and Youngs' modulus of ABS were improved by PER inclusions. However, impact strength of ABS reduced with increase of PER concentration. Glass transition temperature of ABS displayed increasing trend for %5 concentration of PER. MFI test implied that PER addition caused slight decreasing for MFI value of unfilled ABS. Homogeneous dispersion of PER particles into ABS matrix for their lower loading level was obtained from SEM micrographs of composites. According to findings, 5% PER containing sample exhibited the best performance and it was remarked as the most suitable candidate among fabricated ABS based composites.

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