In-situ compatibilization of HDPE/wood fiber composites

In-situ compatibilized HDPE/wood fibre(WF) composites were prepared by reactive extrusion.Effects of maleic anhydride(MA) and styrene(St) on mechanical properties and microstructure of HDPE/WF composites were investigated.The results show that the tensile and impact strength of in-situ compatibilized HDPE/WF composites first increased then decreased with the content of MA increased,and reached the maximum when the content of MA was 1.5 phr,showing an increase of 143% and 45% respectively compared with those of the composite without compatibilization.St exhibited a similar trend of influence on mechanical properties of the HDPE/WF composite.When the molar ration of St to MA was 1.5 : 1,the tensile and impact strength of the HDPE/WF composite increased by 112% and 39% respectively in comparison with those of the composite without the addition of St.The scanning electron microscopy(SEM) results show that the in-situ compatibilized HDPE/WF composite has an enhanced interfacial adhesion.