Production and characterization of Nypa fruitican reinforced low density polyethylene composites

Abstract

The use of Nypa fruitican in reinforcing Low Density polyethylene (LDPE) is reported in the current-study. The fibers
were chemically modified using soda pulping process, phosphorylation and maleic anhydride treatment. The composite
materials were produced with a single-screw extruder using both treated and untreated fibers. The extruded compound
was processed into samples using compression/injection moulding. The weight percent of cellulose in the polymer
composites was 2.5% and 5.0%. The effects of the fibre-loading and surface chemical treatment on the mechanical and
physical properties of the composites were comparatively examined. The result of FTIR spectra showed that modification
of the fibre took place due to substitution of hydroxyl functional group in the untreated fibre. The surface modification of
the Nypa fiber resulted in the improvement of the mechanical properties of the composites. The highest Young’s modulus
and tensile strength values were observed in the composite with 5% maleic anhydride treated fibre loading. Composite
containing 2.5% untreated fibre-loading gave the highest value of elongation at break indicating that elongation at break
is inversely proportional to fibre loading. Water absorption and thickness swelling increases with fiber-loading but varied
with the surface chemical treatments employed. The results showed that modified Nypa fruitican can successfully be
utilized in the production of composites with improved mechanical properties.