Transformation of β to α phase of isotactic polypropylene nucleated with nano styrene butadiene rubber-based β-nucleating agent under microwave irradiation

This paper investigates the effect of microwave irradiation on theβtoαphase transformation of theβ-nucleated isotactic polypropylene(iPP).Ten microwave irradiation cycles was applied to the iPP and iPP modified with 0.3 wt%and 0.5 wt%β-NA,and the data at 2nd,4th,6th,8th and 10th irradiation were reported.As expected,the sample temperature was found to increase with the irradiation time,by more than 130°C,due to high frequency of microwave processing.This was the major factor that induced theβ-phase transformation and structural change.Both the differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)results indicated thatβ-phase was mainly transformed toα-phase and partially converted to the amorphous section.It was reflected as 1)the reduction of the enthalpy ofβ-crystal melting(ΔHmβ),2)the increased enthalpy ofα-crystal melting(ΔHmα),3)the decreasedβ-crystalline phase fraction(Kβ)and 4)the decrease of the overall degree of crystallinity(Xall).Under impact force,neat iPP showed a slight increase in the impact strength with the irradiation time,due to the increase of amorphous region.For theβ-iPP,it decreased due to the reduction of theβ-phase content.

A Circular Economy Use of Post-Consumer Polypropylene Packaging for Low Thermal Conductive and Fire-Retardant Building Material Applications

Wastes from polypropylene(PP)packages are accumulating every year because it is one of the most widely consumed and short lifecycle products.This paper aims to develop low thermal conductive and fire-retardant materials from post-consumer PP(pPP)packages.Ammonium polyphosphate(APP)and hollow glass microsphere(HGM)were further added to improve the fire retardancy and thermal conductivity of pPP.The influence of APP and HGM on the mechanical and thermal properties,fire retardancy and thermal conductivity of pPP were investigated and compared with that of virgin PP(vPP).HGM was constantly added at 5 wt%while the content of APP was varied from 5 to 20 wt%.Experimental results showed that the tensile and flexural strengths were reduced with increasing APP concentrations.A morphological study confirmed the poor interfacial adhesion and debonding of each component during the applied load.Formulations containing APP less than 10 wt%did not show a satisfying fire retardancy rating due to the long self-extinguishing time.Further flame dipping and cotton ignition were observed for these formulations.With 15 and 20 wt%APP,the fire rating was significantly improved from no rating to V-0.The conductive heat transfer coefficient(k)was reduced by the presence of HGM.Based on these results,the formulation with 15 and 20 wt%could be used as a low k,fire-retardant building material.

Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Wood Plastic Biocomposites Prepared from Toughened Poly（lactic acid） and Rubber Wood Sawdust （Hevea brasiliensis）

The present research aims to utilize the acrylic Core-Shell Rubber （CSR） particles to reduce the brittleness in Wood Plastic Composites （WPC） prepared from poly（lactic acid） （PLA） and rubber wood sawdust （Hevea brasiliensis）. Experimental works consisted of two major parts. The first part concentrated on toughening PLA by using CSR particles. Mechanical tests revealed that PLA had become tougher with a more than five times increment in the impact strength when the CSR was added at only 5 wt%. The modified PLA was less stiff with the significant reductions of both elastic and flexural moduli and strengths. The second part focused on producing WPC from the toughened PLA and rubber wood sawdust. The tensile moduli and the strengths of the PLA composites increased with rubber wood content. The composites turned out to be more brittle with reductions of both the impact strength and the tensile elongation at break at all the sawdust contents. Toughening PLA/wood flour with 5 wt% CSR improved both the impact strength and the tensile elongation at break. The toughness enhancement was also depicted by the plastic deformation observed on the surfaces of fractured PLA/CSR/wood sawdust composites.

Effects of Rice Hull Particle Size and Content on the Mechanical Properties and Visual Appearance of Wood Plastic Composites Prepared from Poly（vinyl chloride）

This research aims to develop Wood Plastic Composites （WPCs） from rice hull and poly（vinyl chloride） （PVC）. The in- fluences of the rice hull particle size and content on the mechanical properties and the visual appearance of the WPC decking board were investigated. The experimental results revealed that the impact strength tended to decrease with increasing rice hull content. The composites with larger particle sizes exhibited higher impact strength. Under tensile and flexure load, higher rice hull content induced greater modulus and ultimate strength when the rice hull was applied at less than 60 phr. Beyond this concentration, the modulus and the strength dropped due to the formation of rice hull agglomerates. The smaller particles of the milled rice hull, the greater tendency there was for them to act as a pigment to form a darker shade close that of the rice hull on the composite decking board. The larger particle sizes were 106 μm and beyond simply embedded in the white PVC matrix.

Wood Plastic Composites Prepared from Biodegradable Poly（butylene succinate） and Burma Padauk Sawdust （Pterocarpus macrocarpus）： Water Absorption Kinetics and Sunlight Exposure Investigations

Wood plastic biocomposites of biodegradable poly（butylene succinate） （PBS） and Padauk sawdust was successfully pre- pared by using a twin screw extruder and an injection molding machine. The effects of water absorption and sunlight exposure on some properties of the composites were investigated. Water absorption of PBS composites was found to follow the Fick＇s law of diffusion, while the diffusion coefficient increased with increasing wood content. Maximum water absorption of around 4.5% was observed at 30 wt.% sawdust. Optical micrograph indicated the swelling of wood particles by around 1% - 3% after 30 days of water immersion. The tensile and flexural strengths reduced slightly both under the water immersion and sunlight exposure. After 90 days of exposure, the composites clearly looked paler than the non-weathered ones. Thermal scan indicated the re- duction of crystalline region due to the plasticization effect derived from water molecules.