ABSTRACT
Enhanced Polymer Research Group (EnPRO), Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, E-mail: agus@cheme.utm.my
Abstract ................................................................................................... 47 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 48 2.2 Experimental Part ........................................................................... 49 2.3 Results and Discussion .................................................................. 52 2.4 Conclusion ..................................................................................... 64 Keywords ................................................................................................ 65 References ............................................................................................... 65
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of different kenaf concentration (5-15 phr) on the morphological, thermal and mechanical
properties of recycled polyethylene (rPE) and polyamide-6 (PA-6). Kenaf fiber was used to enhance the properties of the rPE/PA-6. NaOH treatment for kenaf and polyethylene grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MAH) were used to improve the adhesion between rPE/PA-6 with kenaf. Tensile, flexural and DMA test were conducted to study the mechanical properties of the composites. The mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus, flexural modulus, and flexural strength were successfully enhanced by the addition of kenaf. However, some problem occurred which affected and lowered the tensile strength and elongation at break. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests were also performed for its thermal and morphological properties. The kenaf orientation and dispersion in rPE/PA-6 blend was observed to be well dispersed in the matrix and oriented with flow direction.
