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Wood Modification Effects on Weathering of HDPE-Based Wood Plastic Composites.
- Source :
- Journal of Polymers & the Environment; Mar2009, Vol. 17 Issue 1, p34-48, 15p, 1 Diagram, 4 Charts, 18 Graphs
- Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- The effects of weathering on the constituents of wood and polymer matrix behavior in wood plastic composites (WPCs) were investigated. WPCs were produced from pine, extractives-free pine, and pine holocellulose fibers (60%) together with HDPE (40%). These composites were subjected to xenon-arc accelerated and outside weathering for a total of 1200 h and 120 days, respectively. The color and chemical changes that occurred on the surface of the WPCs were analyzed using a set of analytical techniques. For pine and extractive-free pine filled composites, the results showed that the total color change, lightness, and oxidation increased, while the lignin content decreased. In addition, the weight average molecular weight ( Mw) and number average molecular weight ( Mn) of extracted HDPE decreased with an increase in exposure time of the composites. However, HDPE crystallinity increased with longer exposure time. Lightness of holocellulose-based WPC changed the least while the change in its HDPE crystallinity was not significant compared to the other composite types. Therefore, holocellulose-based WPC may be preferred for applications where color stability is of high priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15662543
- Volume :
- 17
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Polymers & the Environment
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 43520477
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-009-0118-y