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This study investigated the mechanical behavior of the treated and untreated kenaf with different matrix resin (epoxy and polyester) using the tensile and low velocity test. The long kenaf fibre was treated with 6% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution for twelve hours in room temperature. The tensile properties of composites at different weight percentage (10,15,20 and 25%) were studied by using Instron Universal Testing Machine according to the standard ASTM D638. Impact test was conducted using an instrumented drop tower device at 10J incident energy level according to the standard ASTM D3763. The results of the study indicated that the epoxy resin reinforced with treated kenaf fibre exhibited higher tensile properties. On the other hand, the impact properties of polyester resin reinforced with treated kenaf fibre show better matrix bonding compared to those with epoxy resin matrices.

The natural fiber composites product becomes popular among the world to promote sustainable development. Unlike the synthetic fibers, natural fibers can absorb as much as the carbon dioxide to prevent the global warming happened. Natural fiber composites such as kenaf mixed with polypropylene, have been commercialized in automotive parts due to its lightweight ability which can improve the fuel efficiency. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of injection moulding temperature to the shrinkage and tensile properties of kenaf/polypropylene key chain product. The optimum weight fraction of 30 wt% kenaf and 70 wt% polypropylene was fabricated using different temperatures of the injection moulding process. The best physical appearance of the key chain was prepared at 180°C. The sample that was fabricated at 210°C has higher tensile stress and tensile modulus which are 12.48 MPa and 1.03 GPa, respectively. As a conclusion, the kenaf/polypropylene specimen prepared at 210 °C has better tensile strength and less shrinkage if compared to others. Brittleness due to voids formation was evident in the SEM image of the kenaf/polypropylene. By using the injection moulding process, a high volume of products could be produced in a very short time.

This study focuses on tensile properties and impact strength of coir fibre reinforced polypropylene composites under influences of fibre loading and various temperatures conditions. All samples were fabricated by using hot-press technique. Tensile and izod impact samples were prepared in accordance to the standard specifications as closely as possible. Three different ratios of fibre with matrix which were 10%, 20% and 30% were studied. The results revealed that 20% volume fraction of coir fibre demonstrated optimum tensile and impact properties. Significance reduction of impact strength under low temperature condition had been shown for all composites due to the brittleness of both fibre and matrix.

This research is to develop the natural Activated Carbon (AC) composites prepared from carbon coconut shell reinforced with polypropylene (PP). Carbon coconut shell were selected from in-productive of coconut shell specifically namely as carbon Komeng coconut shell (CKCS) with different weight percentages of AC (6, 4 and 2wt%) and PP (4, 6 and 8wt%) contents. The specimens were then encapsulated with epoxy resin. The entire specimens were prepared using SRM (Silicon Rubber Moulds) with dumbbell shape and rectangular shape according to the standard ASTM D2099 and ASTM D256 respectively. The mechanical properties of all samples were investigated to characterize the quality of the samples. The morphological studies of reinforced samples were observed by using SEM machine. The results showed that the tensile stress was increased when AC is increased specifically for sample 4 wt% and 8 wt%. Maximum tensile stresses lead by sample 4 wt% with 30MPa.

Plastic recycling can be an effective way of reducing large amount of plastic waste in plastic manufacturing industry. Polypropylene (PP) is a versatile material that is capable of numerous commercial applications. This study is about the effect of composition between virgin and recycled PP towards their mechanical properties. The effect of blending PP product was investigated whether it can improve the performance of the material without deteriorating its original mechanical properties. The tensile and flexural tests were conducted according to ASTM D638 and ASTM D790, respectively. The results from tensile and flexural tests revealed that the sample which consisted of 75wt% of virgin PP and 25wt% of recycled PP were the optimum composition. The blended PP had positive influence on tensile strength, percent of elongation at break and Young's modulus. Opposite trends were obtained from flexural tests where both flexural strength and bending modulus performed slightly less compared to virgin PP. In fact, blending virgin and recycled PP together at any composition did not seriously deteriorate the mechanical properties. Therefore, recycled PP can be used in production without the need to sacrifice its mechanical properties. Besides, PP recycling can reduce material costing and help to save the environment by reducing PP waste.

This study investigate the role of hydroxide ions (OH-) in the synthesis of Ni nanoparticles through polyol method at the temperature of 180°C. Ni nanoparticles were prepared using ethylene glycol (EG) as the solvent and hydrazine (N2H4) as the reducing agent. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was used to introduce the OH-in solutions. Amount of OH-has been controlled through manipulation of OH-/Ni2+ratios. The role of OH-has been discussed in terms of size, morphology and reaction rate. Particles size and morphology were determined by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) was used to verify the chemical composition of as-synthesized particles. The results demonstrated that at temperature of 180°C, Ni nanoparticles can be synthesized even without the existance of OH-. Although there no significant particles size changes,synthesis without OH-showed the most rapid reaction as compared to samples with OH-. Probable mechanisms for formation of Ni nanoparticles with and without OH-are also discussed. This finding contribute to a new rapid and facile synthesis of Ni nanoparticles.

This paper focuses on the comparison of various types of matrix materials and their mechanical properties for development of syntactic foams for marine applications. Generally, syntactic foams are close pore foams fabricated by the mechanical mixing of hollow microsphere particles in a polymeric matrix resin. From the literature review, it was found that there are several polymeric resins that have been used for development of syntactic foams such as epoxy, cyanate ester, polypropylene, polysialate and vinyl ester. In this paper, a comparative discussion is presented on the mechanical properties of hollow glass particles mixing with polymeric resins for development of syntactic foams for the use of these composites in bulk applications such as marine structures.