Effect of filler loading and coconut oil coupling agent on properties of low‐density polyethylene and palm kernel shell eco‐composites

Abstract

Palm kernel shell (PKS), a waste from the oil palm industry, has been utilized as filler in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) eco-composites in the present work. The effect of PKS content and coconut oil coupling agent (COCA) on tensile properties, water absorption, and morphological and thermal properties of LDPE/PKS eco-composites was investigated. The results show the increase of PKS content decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break, but increased the tensile modulus, crystallinity, and water absorption of ecocomposites. The presence of COCA as coupling agent improved the filler-matrix adhesion yield to increase the tensile strength, tensile modulus, crystallinity, and reduced water absorption of eco-composites. The better interfacial adhesion between PKS and LDPE with the addition of COCA was also evidenced by scanning electron microscopy studies. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL.,

Preparation and Characterization of Wood Plastic Composite Made Up of Durian Husk Fiber and Recycled Polystyrene Foam.

“…The char formation also contributed to high percentage of residue content of rPS/DHF composites. The similar findings regarding to effect of char formation influenced the thermal properties of composites also reported by others researcher [21][22]. In conclusion, addition of more fiber content increased the tensile strength and modulus of rPS/DHF composites increased, but decreased the elongation at break.…”

Oil Palm Shell Nanofiller in Seaweed-based Composite Film: Mechanical, Physical, and Morphological Properties

“…The OPS nanofillers were basically hydrophilic. According to Husseinsyah et al (2014), OPS consists of many hydroxyl groups that contribute to its hydrophilic nature because it has a high tendency to absorb water. Therefore, the addition of OPS nanofillers increased the number of hydroxyl groups in the matrix and caused the nanocomposite films to become more accessible to water.…”

Mechanical Properties of Oil Palm Shell Composites

“…Figure 2, the water absorption of UPE/OPS composites increased with OPS content, which indicated that water absorption of composite is higher than the UPE matrix. As proposed by Salmah et al [13], the structure of OPS consists of hydroxyl groups that give the hydrophilic properties of absorbing water which has been proved by pure polyester that shows the lowest percentage in water absorption. Moreover, the presence of microcracks and gaps between OPS and UPE enhance the diffusion of water and thus the water absorption increases with the increase of OPS content.…”

“…Since the addition of OPS particles to UPE matrix developed a rigid interface, it will inhibit the matrix chain mobility and cause the tensile modulus of UPE/OPS to increase with the addition of OPS to 10 vol%. This is attributed to stiffer and more rigid composites [13]. For 20 vol% of OPS, the value showed lower tensile modulus (stiffness) of the composites which in turn increased the elongation at break as a stiff material reducing deformability of a rigid interface between the OPS and matrix and changed its shape slightly under elastic loads [14].…”