Physicochemical WPC Modification Techniques

Abstract

The paper studies issues related to physicochemical and chemical techniques for the modification of wood-polymer composites with a thermoplastic polymer matrix (WPCs) to improve their physical and mechanical properties. The physicochemical modification was performed by photochemical crosslinking with the exposure of WPC specimens to UV irradiation. Chemical modification was performed by introducing benzoyl peroxide into the material composition, leading to chemical crosslinking of polyethylene macromolecules of the WPC polymer matrix. As a result of the study, quantitative characteristics of the effect of the benzoyl peroxide content in the composite, as well as the WPC specimen UV irradiation intensity and duration on the basic physical and mechanical properties of the material have been obtained. The efficiency of physicochemical techniques for modifying WPCs has been estimated by changing the specimen properties such as Brinell hardness, water absorption, and impact strength. It has been found that the Brinell hardness increases by 80 % as compared to unmodified WPC specimens. Effective modification of wood-polymer composites with polymer matrices based on high-density polyethylene may lead to a significant improvement in the quality of products made of these materials.