Author(s)

Ansou Malang Badji^1*, El Hadj Babacar Ly¹, Diene Ndiaye¹, Abdou Karim Diallo¹, Ndickou Kebe¹, Vincent Verney^2,3

¹Applied Physic Department, Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal.
²Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
³CNRS, UMR 6296, ICCF, Université Blaise Pascal, Aubière, France.

Global ecological concerns have resulted in an interest in renewable natural materials. Composites based on high density polyethylene (HDPE), wood fiber (Veneer) and containing coupling agents like nanoclay (NC) and poly-ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate (PEGMA) were made by melt compounding and then injection molding. In this study, the effects of two variable parameters namely nanoclay and coupling agent on the rheological and thermal properties of wood polyethylene composites (WPECs) were investigated. The study investigates the morphology phase, rheology behaviors and thermal properties by scanning electron microscope, capillary rheometer and thermal gravimetric analyzer. The SEM micrographs of the composites showed that the outer surfaces of the wood were coated by a section of amorphous lignin. The state of dispersion in HDPE/pine/clay composites was improved by EGMA because it could interact with pine flour in addition to clay. The interaction of reinforcement with coupling agent and HDPE matrix is strong based on the observation of the fracture surface of composites when EGMA is present. However the addition of 2.5% clay slightly lowered the initial degradation temperature (Td) but did not improve the thermal stability. Obviously, all the composites materials exhibit viscoelastic values greater than those of neat HDPE.

Wood HDPE Composite, Rheological and Thermal Properties, Microscopy, TGA

Badji, A. , Ly, E. , Ndiaye, D. , Diallo, A. , Kebe, N. and Verney, V. (2016) The Effect of Poly-Ethylene-co-Glycidyl Methacrylate Efficiency and Clay Platelets on Thermal and Rheological Properties of Wood Polyethylene Composites. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 6, 436-455. doi: 10.4236/aces.2016.64040.