This work investigates the production, mechanical, thermal properties, water resistance and microstructure of a plasticized starch (PSA) modified wood plastic composite (WPC), which were made by low density polyethylene (LDPE), hardwood fiber (HW), plasticized starch (PSA), and polyethylene grafted maleic anhydrite (MAPE). The addition of MAPE by 5 wt% in the composite formulation significantly increased both tensile strength and modulus.  This can be attributed to the reactive interaction between the MAPE and the carbohydrates present in the composite materials.  The addition of 25 wt% plasticized starch mixed with MAPE further improved the benefits of the MAPE.  This allowed for increased amounts of natural based materials to be used in the composite and also improved both the tensile strength and the modulus of the composite materials.   Microstructure analysis of PSA modified WPC indicated that bonding does take place between the wood fiber, starch and polyethylene with the reactive interaction of the MAPE.  WPC modified with addition of PSA absorbed more water than unmodified WPC in the same amount of time. Thermal degradation and transition properties were also studied. This project has shown that the use of starch modified with MAPE as a binder in wood plastic composite can give improved strength and modulus while still be relatively stable in water and providing traditional thermoplastic benefits of moldability and durability.

Reactive compatibilizers in the creation of wood fiber plastic composites

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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