S.T. Sam

Properties of ferrite-filled natural rubber composites

Nickel zinc ferrite (Ni-ZnFe2O4)-filled natural rubber (NR) composite was prepared at various loading of ferrite. The tensile properties included in this study were tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at break. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites increased up to 40 parts per hundred rubber (phr) of ferrite and then decreased at higher loading whereas the tensile modulus was increased gradually with increasing of ferrite loading. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the wettability of filler in rubber matrix. From the observation, the increase of filler loading reduced the wettability of the filler. Thermal stability of the composites was conducted by using a thermogravimetry analyser (TGA). The incorporation of ferrite in NR composites enhanced the thermal stability of NR composites. The swelling test results indicate that the swelling percentage of the composites decreased by increasing of ferrite loading. The initial permeability, μi and quality factor, Q of magnetic properties of NR composites achieved maximum value at 60 phr of ferrite loading for frequency range between 5000–40,000 kHz. The maximum impedance, Z max of the NR composites was at the highest value at 80 phr ferrite loading for frequency range between 200–800 MHz.

Soil Burial of Polyethylene-g-(Maleic Anhydride) Compatibilised LLDPE/Soya Powder Blends

This study examines the production of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)/soya powder blends to be used as alternatives to cellulosic material/polyolefin blends. LLDPE was blended with soya powder in a Haake internal mixer by melt mixing. Composition of the soya powder was varied from 5 wt% to 40 wt%. Polyethylene grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) was used as a compatibiliser. Environmental degradation was evaluated by composting the blends sample into the soil. It was found that for a higher soya powder composition, the degradation rate increased. Blends with compatibiliser degraded at lower rates than the uncompatibilised blends. The carbonyl indices of uncompatibilised blends subjected to the soil burial test were found to be higher than compatibilised blends. The weight loss changes in time data was collected and used to estimate the further changes by curve-fitting method. The complete degradation of the blends can be estimated from the kinetic curve. DSC results indicate that the crystallinity of the blends increased with increasing soya powder content added after composting.

The Effect of Carbon Black on the Properties of Magnetic Ferrite Filled Natural Rubber Composites

The effect of carbon black loading and type on the properties of ferrite filled natural rubber (NR) composites was investigated. The carbon black loading used was from 0 to 50 phr and ferrite loading was fixed at 80 phr. Carbon black grades N330 and N660 were used in this work. The scorch time decreased with the addition of carbon black in ferrite filled NR composites whereas the cure time increased. The tensile strength and elongation at break of ferrite filled natural rubber composites were found to decrease with the increase of both types carbon black loading. However, the stress at 100% elongation (M100) and stress modulus at 300% elongation (M300) exhibit an increasing trend. The microstructure showed that filler dispersion of ferrite filled natural rubber composites become poorer with increasing carbon black loading. The thermal stability was found to enhance with carbon black loading. The swelling test indicated that the swelling percentage reduced with increasing carbon black loading while at low loading enhanced the magnetic properties of the composites. The N330 carbon black filled NR composites showed longer scorch and cure times and better tensile properties, swelling resistance and magnetic properties but lower thermal stability than N660 carbon black filled NR composites.

Recent Advances in Polyolefins/Natural Polymer Blends Used for Packaging Application

This article reviews the recent advances made in polyolefin and natural polymer blends used for packaging applications, with a focus on their degradation. Nondegradable polymers are now considered as a serious environmental problem, and they have become an enormous challenge to waste management. Hence, the degradable polymers are practical solutions to reduce the municipal solid waste (MSW) caused by the use of nondegradable polymers. These degradable options can be produced from three kinds of natural sources:- (1) polysaccharides—starch, cellulose, chitin and chitosan; (2) proteins—soya, wheat gluten, collagen/gelatine; and (3) speciality polymers—such as lignin, natural rubber. One major challenge to producing a degradable blend with the desired properties is merging the hydrophilic characteristics of natural polymers with the hydrophobic characteristics of polyolefin. The aim of this review is to offer a complete overview of polyolefin/natural polymer blends researched for packaging applications.

Corn cob filled chitosan biocomposite films

Recently, there has been renews interest in chitosan as materials in producing of biocomposite films. The chitosan (CS)/corn cob (CC) biocomposite films were prepared by solvent casting method. The effect of CC content on tensile properties of CS/CC biocomposite films was studied. The tensile strength and elongation at break of CS/CC biocomposite films decreased as increasing of CC content. However, the increasing of CC content was increased the tensile modulus of CS/CC biocomposite films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was indicated that the deceasing of tensile properties was due to the poor interfacial adhesion between CC filler and CS matrix.

Effect of Cobalt Stearate on Natural Weathering of LLDPE/Soya Powder Blends

A protein-based natural polymer, soya powder, was melt blended with linear-low density polyethylene (LLDPE). Cobalt stearate (CS) was used as a pro-oxidant. The blends were exposed to natural weathering for 6 months. The susceptibility of the LLDPE/soya powder, based on its tensile properties, morphology, thermal behaviour and chemical and physical changes was measured every three months. The tensile strength and elongation at break (Eb) of the blends with CS were more susceptible compared to the blends without CS. During weathering, the crystallinity and weight loss increased with the addition of CS in the blends, however molecular weight was reduced.

Current Application and Challenges on Packaging Industry Based on Natural Polymer Blending

Currently, the packaging sector is a major consumer in the most industries. Plastic packaging is being increasingly used in medical products and healthcare as well as in the beverages and packaged foods.

Investigation of Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR 50) as a Compatibilizer on Cogon Grass Filled Low Density Polyethylene/Soya Spent Flour

Natural fiber reinforced composites are increasingly being used in various applications area. Therefore, the processing method and physical properties of these composites are very important parameters in product quality and quaranty. This paper focused on the tensile properties, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and water absorption of cogon grass (CG) with low density polyethylene (LDPE)/soya spent flour (SSF) composites. The tensile strength and elongation at break (Eb) of uncompatibilized CG with LDPE/ SSF decreased significantly with increasing of fiber content. However, the Young’s modulus increased with increasing of CG loading. The presence of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 50) as a compatibilizer increased the tensile strength, Eb and Young’s modulus of the composites when compared to uncompatibilized composites. Fourier transform infrared results show distinguishable peaks for compatibilized and uncompatibilized composites. The water absorption for both uncompatibilized and compatibilized composites increased from day 1 until day 21. The presence of ENR 50 as compatibilizer showed lower water absorption percentage compared to uncompatibilized composites.

Physical and Morphological Properties of Styrene Butadiene Rubber/Recycled Chloroprene Rubber (SBR/CRr) Blends - The Effects of TOR as a Compatibilizer

Elastomer blends are widely used in rubber products for a variety of reasons, which include improved physical properties, improved service life, easier processing, and reduced production cost [. Butadiene and chloroprene (2-chloro-1,3 butadiene) are related monomers [. Blending of SBR with CR has been done to obtain better crystallisation resistance, better compression set resistance, lower brittleness temperature and enhanced resistance to sunlight deterioration as compared with CR alone. Other important properties, such as oil, heat, flame and ozone resistance, decrease as the amount of SBR increases [. It is possible to improve the phase morphology of SBR/CR blend by incorporating 5±10 phr of a modified copolymer that has segments chemically identical to SBR and CR phases. Addition of halocarbenes to polymers has been reported since a long time; however, available information on the commercial application on such modified polymers is limited [.

A comparative study of green composites based on tapioca starch and celluloses

The objective of this study was to compare the properties of green composites based on tapioca starch (TS) and celluloses isolated from empty fruit bunches (EFB) and commercial celluloses from cotton linter (supplied by Sigma). Empty fruit bunches (EFB) acted as the main source to obtain the cellulose by using a chemical approach whereas the commercial cellulose from Sigma was used as reference. The TS/cellulose composite films were prepared using cellulose in varying proportions as filler into TS matrix by a casting method. The amount of celluloses added into the tapioca starch were 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 phr (as per dry mass of TS). The celluloses were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTTR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). While the green composite films were analyzed in terms of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), SEM and tensile properties. FTTR analysis confirmed the removal of non-cellulosic materials su...