Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Maple Reinforced LLDPE Produced by Rotational Moulding: Effect of Fibre Content and Surface Treatment

Abstract

In this study, wood-plastic composites (WPC) were produced by rotomoulding, to study the effect of fibre content and surface treatment on their properties. Maple wood fibre, with or without surface treatment with maleated polyethylene (MAPE), was used to improve the mechanical properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). From the composites produced, a complete morphological and mechanical characterisation was performed. The results showed that MAPE surface treatment improved the fibre-matrix interface quality and the mechanical properties (56% increase in tensile modulus and 60% increase in flexural modulus over the neat matrix with 19% in impact strength with respect to untreated fibres) at 30% wt.