Synergistic effect of SiO2, ZnO and nanoclay on mechanical and thermal properties of wood polymer nanocomposite

Abstract

Wood polymer composite (WPC) was prepared using solution-blended high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), wood flour (WF) and polyethylene- co-glycidyl methacrylate (PE- co-GMA). The effect of nanoclay, SiO2 and ZnO addition on the properties of the composite was examined. The distribution of silicate layers, SiO2 and ZnO nanopowder was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The improvement in miscibility among polymers was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) studies reveal the interaction between polymer, wood, clay, SiO2 and ZnO. WPC treated with 3 phr each of clay, SiO2 and ZnO showed an improvement in mechanical properties, thermal stability and a decrease in water uptake capacity.