Mechanical and thermal degradation behavior of sisal fiber (SF) reinforced recycled polypropylene (RPP) composites

The present investigation focuses on the effect of fiber surface treatment on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of sisal fiber (SF) reinforced recycled polypropylene (RPP) composites. The surface of sisal fiber was modified using different chemicals such as silane, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and O-hydroxybenzene diazonium chloride (OBDC) to improve the compatibility between fiber surface and polymer matrix. The experimental results revealed an improvement in the tensile strength to 11 %, 20 % and 31.36 % and impact strength to 78.72 %, 77 % and 81 % for silane, GMA and OBDC treated sisal fiber reinforced recycled polypropylene (RPP/SF) composites respectively as compared to RPP. The thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and heat deflection temperature (HDT) results revealed improved thermal stability as compared with RPP. The morphological analysis through scanning electron micrograph (SEM) supports improves surface interaction between fiber surface and polymer matrix.