Noorasikin Samat

Tensile and impact properties of polypropylene/microcrystalline cellulose treated with different coupling agents

The effects of different coupling agents, silane aminopropyltriethoxysilane and maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP), on the mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP)/microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) composites were determined and compared. The composites with low filler loadings, up to 12 wt.%, were prepared via melt-mixing in a twin screw extruder followed by injection moulding. All composites were characterized by tensile and impact tests. It is observed that the addition of MCC slightly decreased the tensile strength but the MAPP composites showed higher tensile strength than the silane composites. In contrast, the silane improved the Young’s Modulus at higher filler content. Additionally, the impact properties increased with the presence of coupling agents. These results indicate that both coupling agents affected the mechanical properties of the composite in different ways associated with different filler content.

ZnO nanoparticles for anti-corrosion nanocoating of carbon steel

Nanostructured coatings offer great potential for various applications due to their superior characteristics that are not typically found in conventional coatings. This research aimed at developing a new and improved coating that employs zinc oxide nanopowder as the agent to achieve corrosion resistant properties for a coating. The research project discusses on its corrosion behaviour of epoxy-zinc oxide in different media by measuring its corrosion rate. Mild carbon steel was used as the substrate for the epoxy-zinc oxide coating. The corrosion behavior mechanism of mild steel was investigated in different media, namely fresh water, NaCl solution, HCl solution and NaOH solution. Immersion test was conducted and studied for a period of 60 days, with daily and weekly weighing and immersing. The corrosion rate was calculated and mild steel corrodes in the different environment and degrades in the following trend; HCl → NaCl → NaOH → H2O.

Evaluation of Elastic Modulus and Hardness of Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposite by Nano-Indentation

This study focuses on the micromechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with kenaf fiber (KF) and organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) hybrid biocomposite by using nanoindenter. Nanoindenter is an analytical device that can record small load and depth with high accuracy and precision which can be used to determine the modulus, hardness and other mechanical properties of nanomaterials. The result shows that the optimum properties of the hardness and elastic modulus were dominated by PLA-KF-OMMT hybrid composite.

Performance Properties of Irradiated Recycled Polypropylene as a Compatibilizer in Recycled Polypropylene/Microcrystalline Cellulose Composites

Effects of irradiated rPP compatibilizer, on the mechanical and thermal properties of recycled polypropylene/microcrystalline cellulose composites (rPP/MCC), are investigated. rPP is irradiated with an electron beam at dosages ranging from 10, 20, 30 to 50kGy. A matrix, containing of unirradiated and irradiated rPP (50:50 by ratio), is then added to 5, 20 and 40wt% MCC fibres. The composites are prepared using a twin screw extruder, followed by injection moulding. The properties are then characterized using tensile and thermal degradation tests. The improvement of Young’s modulus by up to about 45% suggests a compatibilising effect of the irradiated rPP. Fracture surface observations reveal an adhesion between rPP matrix and MCC fibres. However, the thermal stability deteriorated with the addition of MCC and irradiated rPP.

The compatibility effects of irradiated recycled PP on the mechanical and water properties of recycled PP/microcrystalline cellulose composites

Polypropylene (PP) is a thermoplastic that is used in many applications. Hence, the recycling of PP is very important for the sustainability of the environment. However, the properties of recycled PP (rPP) are lower compared to virgin polypropylene due to the rupturing of its structure during the recycling process. One of the techniques that can be used to modify the polymer structures is electron radiation. This study was aimed at investigating the compatibility of irradiated rPP in rPP composites reinforced with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The rPP/MCC composites were prepared according to the ratio of 70/30 wt% (unirradiated/irradiated) rPP, before the addition of various compositions of MCC at 5, 20 and 40 wt%. The rPP resin pellets were irradiated with 5, 20 and 50 kGy before the compounding process. Mechanical and water resistance tests were conducted to evaluate the compatibility of the composites. The results showed that the mechanical properties were improved at a certain electron radiation ...

Mechanical Properties of Green Recycled Polypropylene Composites: Effect of Maleic Anhydride Grafted Polypropylene (MAPP) Coupling Agent

Recycled polypropylene/microcrystalline cellulose (rPP/MCC) composites were prepared by adding different loadings of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) coupling agent. The tensile, impact and morphological properties of the composites were investigated. The obtained results show that the tensile and impact strengths of the composites were significantly enhanced with the addition of MAPP loading from 2 to 5 wt%, as compared with unfilled rPP/MCC composites. However, it was found that at low filler content, different amounts of MAPP resulted in no appreciable change in the tensile strength and modulus. Moreover, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results indicated that, increasing the amount of MAPP loading from 2 to 5 wt% in rPP/MCC provide better stiffness of the composite compared to those neat rPP and neat PP. Field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) has shown that the composite, with MAPP loading, promotes better fibermatrix interaction.

Effect of Coupling Agent on the Mechanical Properties of Flame Retardant PP/ATH Nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites containing polypropylene (PP) as the polymer matrix and nanofiller aluminium hydroxide (ATH) as the flame retardant filler were compounded with various loading of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene, MAPP (0, 1, 2, 3, 5 wt %). All materials were mixed using melt mixing process and were further prepared using an injection moulding machine. The mechanical performances of the samples were characterized using tensile and impact tests. Improvements were observed for the tensile and impact properties of the PP/ATH samples after being loaded with MAPP. MAPP loading of 1 wt % was determined to be the optimum content of coupling agent addition as this loading enabled the best performance of the nanocomposite in tensile and impact tests. Different morphologies of the fracture surfaces for all samples were characterized using FESEM analysis.

Effect of Coupling Agent on Mechanical Properties of Composite from Microcrystalline Cellulose and Recycled Polypropylene

This study shows the effect of using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) and maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as coupling agent on composite of RPP/MCC fiber. The compositions of MCC were varied from 0, 2, 4, 8 and 12 wt%. The compounded samples were prepared into test specimens by using injection moulding. The RPP/MCC composites with and without the coupling agent were characterized through mechanical testing of flexural and impact test. The incorporation of the modified MCC was found to increase the modulus and flexural strength. The flexural test indicates that the addition of 4 wt% MCC-APS and 8 wt% MCC-MAPP significantly increased the flexural strength of the RPP composite compared to the unmodified MCC. The impact test shows higher impact strength at 4 wt% of RPP/MCC-APS and 2 wt% of RPP/MCC-MAPP, respectively.