A novel natural fiber from plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) fruits to reinforce polypropylene composites

Abstract

This study investigated the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites reinforced with short natural fibers obtained from plane tree ( Platanus orientalis L.) fruits. The fibers were harvested from the fruits that naturally fell from the tree in their standard length of about 6 mm. Composites were produced via melt blending using varied concentrations of the fibers (5–10–20–30 wt.%) and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) copolymer as the coupling agent. The mechanical properties of the composites were characterized by tensile test, flexural test, dynamic mechanic analysis and ball-on-disc sliding wear test. The findings revealed that the fibers had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the polypropylene matrix and the properties were found to improve linearly with increasing fiber concentration. At a 30 wt.% fiber concentration, the tensile and flexural strengths increased about 28% and 36% compared to pure polypropylene, respectively. At this fiber concentration, the modulus doubled compared to the pristine polymer. This increase is higher than that reported for most other natural fibers. Good miscibility between fibers and matrix, enhanced thermal stability, and about 30% reduction in friction coefficients were found. As a result, PTFs have the potential to be used in industries such as automotive, construction and sports which require mechanical strength and low weight.