Effect of chemical modified water hyacinth fiber with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) synthetic on mechanical properties of LDPE/NR/WHF composites

Abstract

The effect of chemical modification on the mechanical properties of low density polyethylene/natural rubber/water hyacinth fiber composites was investigated. The chemical use to modify water hyacinth fibers were polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). LDPE/NR/WHF composites with different chemically modified water hyacinth fibers content were prepared with Z-blade mixer at 1800 C and rotor speed of 50 rpm. The tensile strength of the composites increased while the filler loading increased. As more fibers were added to the composites, it caused a significant decreased in tensile strength. LDPE/NR/WHF-PMMA composites had a higher tensile strength, better filler-matrix adhesion, as compared to LDPE/NR/WHF-PVA composites. Moreover, Young’s modulus was greatly increased while elongation at break was reduced as filler loading increased in LDPE/NR/WHF-PMMA composites compared with LDPE/NR/WHF-PVA composites.