Effects of Chemical Modification of Wood Flour on the Rheological Properties of High-Density Polyethylene Blends

ABSTRACT: Chemical modification of lignocellulosic fibers can improve interfacial adhesion and dimensionally stabilize the resultingplastic composites. This study examined the rheological properties of wood flour/high density polyethylene (HDPE) melts after poplarwood flour was modified with glutaraldehyde (GA, mainly cell wall cross-linking) and 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea(DMDHEU, mainly poly-condensation). Results show improvement in both the dispersibility of treated wood flour in the HDPE andits interfacial compatibility. Treatment with GA decreased melt viscosity, moduli, and shear stress as evidenced by rheometry. How-ever, the modifying effects of DMDHEU were not observed, which was mainly due to reduced HDPE content. This study indicatesthat chemical modification of wood flour is a promising approach to improve the processability of highly filled wood thermoplasticcomposites via extrusion/injection molding processing. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41200.

[1]  M. Wolcott,et al.  Effects of ionic liquid on the rheological properties of wood flour/high density polyethylene composites , 2014 .

[2]  M. Wolcott,et al.  Effect of wood cell wall composition on the rheological properties of wood particle/high density polyethylene composites , 2014 .

[3]  X. Luo,et al.  Evaluation of distillers grains as fillers for low density polyethylene: Mechanical, rheological and thermal characterization , 2013 .

[4]  M.J.A. van den Oever,et al.  Dynamic and capillary shear rheology of natural fiber‐reinforced composites , 2013 .

[5]  Jeffrey J. Morrell,et al.  Effects of wood fiber esterification on properties, weatherability and biodurability of wood plastic composites , 2013 .

[6]  P. Pötschke,et al.  Melt mixed PCL/MWCNT composites prepared at different rotation speeds: Characterization of rheological, thermal, and electrical properties, molecular weight, MWCNT macrodispersion, and MWCNT length distribution , 2013 .

[7]  D. Lourdin,et al.  Compatibilization of starch-zein melt processed blends by an ionic liquid used as plasticizer. , 2012, Carbohydrate polymers.

[8]  S. Hatzikiriakos.  Wall slip of molten polymers , 2012 .

[9]  Hua Gao,et al.  Grafting effects of polypropylene/polyethylene blends with maleic anhydride on the properties of the resulting wood–plastic composites , 2012 .

[10]  S. Ciliberto,et al.  Effect of filler content and temperature on steady‐state shear flow of wood/high density polyethylene composites , 2011 .

[11]  C. Hill,et al.  Dynamic water vapour sorption properties of wood treated with glutaraldehyde , 2011, Wood Science and Technology.

[12]  C. Hill,et al.  Effects of chemical modification of wood particles with glutaraldehyde and 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea on properties of the resulting polypropylene composites , 2010 .

[13]  Yanjun Xie,et al.  Effects of modification with glutaraldehyde on the mechanical properties of wood , 2010 .

[14]  Yanjun Xie,et al.  Effect of glutaraldehyde on water related properties of solid wood , 2010 .

[15]  Hanxiong Huang,et al.  Effects of filler–filler and polymer–filler interactions on rheological and mechanical properties of HDPE–wood composites , 2009 .

[16]  A. Mamun,et al.  BIOLOGICAL AND ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE OF ACETYLATED FLAX FIBRE REINFORCED POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITES , 2009 .

[17]  J. Vlachopoulos,et al.  Effects of polymer molecular weight and filler particle size on flow behavior of wood polymer composites , 2008 .

[18]  A. Mamun,et al.  The effects of acetylation on properties of flax fibre and its polypropylene composites , 2008 .

[19]  J. Vlachopoulos,et al.  Influence of coupling agents on melt flow behavior of natural fiber composites , 2007 .

[20]  S. Mohanty,et al.  Dynamic and steady state viscoelastic behavior and morphology of MAPP treated PP/sisal composites , 2007 .

[21]  Yanjun Xie,et al.  Effect of treatments with 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxy-ethyleneurea (DMDHEU) on the tensile properties of wood , 2007 .

[22]  J. Vlachopoulos,et al.  Surface Tearing and Wall Slip Phenomena in Extrusion of Highly Filled HDPE/Wood Flour Composites , 2006 .

[23]  M. Wolcott,et al.  Rheology of wood plastics melt, part 2: Effects of lubricating systems in HDPE/maple composites , 2006 .

[24]  M. Wolcott,et al.  Rheology of wood plastics melt. Part 1. Capillary rheometry of HDPE filled with maple , 2005 .

[25]  Wei Zhou,et al.  Nanotube Networks in Polymer Nanocomposites: Rheology and Electrical Conductivity , 2004 .

[26]  J. Kenny,et al.  Rheology of particle suspensions in viscoelastic media. Wood flour-polypropylene melt , 2004 .

[27]  G. Kalaprasad,et al.  Melt rheological behavior of intimately mixed short sisal-glass hybrid fiber-reinforced low-density polyethylene composites. II. Chemical modification , 2003 .

[28]  Kazuya Minato,et al.  Moisture Adsorption Thermodynamics of Chemically Modified Wood , 1995 .

[29]  J. A. Brydson,et al.  Flow properties of polymer melts , 1970 .