Effect of surface treatment and titanium dioxide nanoparticles on the mechanical and morphological properties of wood flour/polypropylene nanocomposites

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles and surface treating natural fibres (mercerization and acetylation) on different wood flour (WF)/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposite properties. WF and PP were mixed in an internal mixer (50% weight ratio) with different concentrations of TiO₂ nanoparticles (0, 1, 3, and 5 parts by weight per hundred parts of compounds (phc)) and 3 phc PP grafted maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) to produce a wood plastic composite, using the injection moulding method. The FTIR spectra showed the intensity of the O–H bond and the formation of acetyl groups at 3445.2 and 1763.5 cm⁻¹, respectively. The SEM results indicated that chemical treatment creates better cohesion within the polymer matrix. Also, the tensile, flexural, and impact strengths, and the moduli of the composites increased when the TiO₂ nanoparticle levels were between 1 and 3 phc. All mechanical strengths decreased as the TiO₂ rose above 3 phc.