2009 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 40-47
The oxidatively degraded polypropylene (DgPP) was studied as a dispersing agent for fibrous cellulose (FC)/ polypropylene (PP) composite. The adequate preparation time of thermal oxidative degradation for DgPP was found to be 18 hour at 130°C. The DgPP contained functional groups composed of γ-lactone group and carboxylic acid groups. The addition of the DgPP presented the transparency improvement of FC/PP composite. This be-havior was originated from the grafted DgPP, which was produced by the esterification reaction between the OH group of FC surface and the γ-lactone part and carboxylic acid parts in DgPP. Observation of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the grafted DgPP coated the FC surface and improved adhesion property between the interface of the FC and the PP. The addition of 1mol% of DgPP brought about the improvement of FC/PP composite mechanical properties. These results demonstrated that the DgPP effectively acted as the dis-persing agent.
