J. P. Siregar, S. M. Sapuan, M. Z. A. Rahman and H. M. D. K. Zaman
Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, Volume 20, Issue 2, July 2012
Keywords: Pineapple leaf fibre, high impact polystyrene, compatibilising agent, alkali treatment
Published on:
A study on the effects of alkali treatment and compatibilising agent on the tensile properties of pineappleleaf fibre (PALF) reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composite is presented in this paper. Thetensile properties of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites are mainly influenced by the interfacialadhesion between the matrix and the fibres. In this study, several chemical modifications were employedto improve the interfacial matrix-fibre bonding and this resulted in the enhancement of tensile propertiesof the composites. In this study, the surface modification of pineapple fibre with alkali treatments andcompatibilizer were used to improve the adhesion between hydrophilic pineapple fibre and hydrophobicpolymer matrix. There are two concentrations of NaOH treatments and compatibilizer used in this study,namely, 2 and 4 wt. %. The results show that the alkali treated fibre and the addition of compatibilisingagent in PALF/HIPS composites have improved the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composites.
ISSN 0128-7680
e-ISSN 2231-8526