International Conference on Advancements and Futuristic Trends in Mechanical and Materials Engineering (October 5-7, 2012)

Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar-Kapurthala Highway, Kapurthala, Punjab-144601 (INDIA) 180

FABRICATION AND THERMAL CHARACTERIZATION OF JUTE
FIBER REINFORCED MODIFIED POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITES
WITH in-situ FIBER MATRIX INTERFACIAL ADHESION
Anshu Anjali Singh*, Sanjay Palsule
Department of Polymer and Process Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee.India.
* Corresponding author e-mail:- anshudpt@iitr.ernet.in, anshuanjaliiitr@gmail.com


ABSTRACT

Since last few decades the use of natural fibers for making polymeric composite has increased. Several methods
have been used to improve the interfacial adhesion between hydrophilic natural fiber and hydrophobic polyolefins.
In this study modified polypropylene has been used as a matrix to improve the interfacial adhesion between the
reinforcer and the matrix. Compounding of jute fiber and modified polypropylene was performed using Twin Screw
Extrude and the specimens of the extruded composite pellets were prepared by Injection Molding Machine
following the ASTM Standards. Thermal characterizations were performed using DSC and TGA; and processing
temperature, melting temperature, glass transition temperature and thermal stability and thermal degradation in
inert (N
2
) and air atmosphere were studied. The thermal stability of the jute fiber reinforced modified polypropylene
composite enhanced, as compared to that of the matrix, and this indicates the improved interfacial adhesion
between the fiber and the matrix. Thermal stability determines the applications of the composite. This study
establishes the feasibility of processing natural fiber / modified polyolefin composites with enhanced properties.

Keywords: Jute fiber, Modified Polypropylene, Fiber/Matrix Interface, DSC, TGA.


1. Introduction

The use of natural fibers as reinforcers for
polymer composites has increased in last few
decades. Natural fibers obtained from plants are
abundant, easily available and are economical and
cost effective. Also natural fibers are biodegradable,
recyclable, renewable, non-abrasive, and unlike glass
fibers are not hazardous to health. These and several
other advantages are directing efforts to use bio and
natural fibers as reinforcers for polymer composites.
Natural fiber reinforced polyolefin composites offer
several techno-economic advantages, including, light
weight, high specific strength and high specific
stiffness, low cost and value added products from
agro-materials. Several natural fiber reinforced
polyolefin composites have emerged as potential
materials for engineering and commodity
applications. Natural fiber reinforced polyolefin
composites gained importance in the last quarter of
20
th
Century. Reviews [1, 2] of the developments till
the beginning of 21
st
Century have been presented.
Banana [3], Jute [4], Sisal [5], and several other
natural fibers have been used to develop natural fiber
reinforced thermoplastic matrix composites; and
polyethylene, polypropylene and several other
polymers have been used as matrix materials for
natural fiber reinforced polymeric composites.

Jute fibers, like all other natural fibers, contain
hydrophilic lignocelluloses components with
polarized hydroxyl group. Table-1 shows the
chemical composition of jute fibers. The presence of

Table-1 Chemical Composition of Jute Fibers [6]
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Cellulose 64.4
Hemicelluloses 12.0
Lignin 11.8
Pectin 0.2
Wax 0.5
Water 10.0

hydroxyl group in lignocelluloses makes them
incompatible with hydrophobic polyolefin matrix and
a poor interfacial adhesion between hydrophilic Jute
fibers and hydrophobic polyolefin matrix is observed
in Jute fiber / polyolefin composites. This poor
interfacial bonding, resulting from incompatibility
between the hydrophilic natural fibers and the
hydrophobic polyolefin matrix, adversely affects the
overall properties of natural fiber reinforced
polyolefin composites. Interfacial adhesion between
a natural fiber, like jute fiber, and a polyolefin, like
polypropylene, may be improved by following three
methods

i) Coating the surface of reinforcing natural fibers
with appropriate coupling agents.
ii) Chemical treatment of the reinforcing natural fiber
for its surface modification, or,
iii) Use of a compatibilizer for fiber matrix interfacial
adhesion.
International Conference on Advancements and Futuristic Trends in Mechanical and Materials Engineering (October 5-7, 2012)

Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar-Kapurthala Highway, Kapurthala, Punjab-144601 (INDIA) 181
Palsule [7] demonstrated that use of chemically
modified polyolefin matrix eliminates need of any
compatibilizer or any fiber treatment. The processed
natural fiber reinforced chemically modified
polyolefin composites showed significantly improved
fiber / matrix interfacial adhesion and also potential
for enhanced properties for engineering applications.
This study demonstrates the feasibility of Palsule
process of generating in-situ fiber / matrix interfacial
adhesion in jute fiber / modified polypropylene
composites, by using modified polypropylene as a
matrix, without any fiber modification and without
any use of any compatibilizer and without using any
known methods of generating fiber/matrix interfacial
adhesion in natural fiber / polyolefin composites.

2. Experimental

2.1 Materials
Modified polypropylene was processed by
reactive extrusion of polypropylene with suitable
chemicals used as modifying agents. The reinforcing
jute fiber was obtained from local market and was cut
to 5-10mm length and was used as reinforcer for the
composite.

2.2 Compounding and processing of
composite
Jute fibers were chopped to 10-15 mm length.
Modified polypropylene and jute fibers were dried at
80
o
C for 2 hours in hot air oven. Calculated
quantities of reinforcing jute fiber and modified
polypropylene matrix were mixed manually and were
then fed into the hopper of the extruder. 5% jute
fibers and 95% modified polypropylene matrix were
processed and extruded by co-rotating twin screw
extruder (Model TEX, JSW Ltd. Japan) with the
maximum temperature of 185
o
C. The extruded
strands of jute fiber reinforced modified
polypropylene composites were cooled in water and
cut into small pellets by a pelletizer. The obtained
extruded composite pellets (Fig.1) were used for
thermal characterization.






Fig. 1: Pellets of Jute Fiber/Modified Polypropylene
composite.
2.3 Thermal Characterization
Thermal characterizations of modified
polypropyelne matrix and 5/95 Jute/modified
polypropylene composites were performed by using
Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) to determine
weight loss; and by Differential Scanning
Calorimetry (DSC) to determine melting
temperatures.
Thermo-gravimetric analysis was performed by
NETZSCH TGA using 8-10mg of the sample to
study the weight loss with increasing temperature.
The samples were heated at uniform rate of 5K/min
over a temperature ranges from 27
o
C to 900
o
C in
inert atmosphere at a flow rate 100ml/min.
Melting temperatures of matrix and composite
were studied by NETZSCH Differential Scanning
Calorimeter (DSC). 8-10mg of samples were heated
at uniform rate of 5K/min from room temperature to
250
o
C.

3. Results and Discussions

Thermal gravimetric analysis was used to study
the degradation behavior of the composite and the
matrix in inert atmosphere. Thermo gravimetric (TG)
graph / thermogram of a sample indicates the weight
loss (%) with increasing temperature, temperature at
which the degradation starts and the temperature of
maximum weight loss. Thermo gravimetric result for
both modified polypropylene and composite show
distinct processes of weight loss at different
temperatures. In the figure for TGA the X-axis
represents the temperature (Range from 27
o
C to
950
o
C) and the Y-axis represents the weight loss (%)
of the samples.

International Conference on Advancements and Futuristic Trends in Mechanical and Materials Engineering (October 5-7, 2012)

Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar-Kapurthala Highway, Kapurthala, Punjab-144601 (INDIA) 182
0 200 400 600 800 1000
0
20
40
60
80
100
T
G
%
Temperature
Matrix
Composite


Fig. 2: TGA of matrix and the composite in N
2

Atmosphere

From the thermogram obtained for 5% Jute / 95%
modified polypropylene composite it was found that
the thermal stability of the composite was higher than
that of the modified polypropylene. This indicates the

Fig. 3: DSC of Matrix

strong in-situ fiber matrix interfacial adhesion
between the matrix and reinforcer.
Fig.3 shows the graph obtained from DSC of matrix
material. Negligible change was observed in melting
temperature of matrix and the 5% jute fiber
reinforced modified polypropylene composite. This
indicates proper interfacial adhesion between the Jute
fiber and modified polypropylene matrix.

4. Conclusions
Jute fiber reinforced modified polypropylene
composites were processed using twin screw
extruder. Composites show improved interfacial
adhesion between the matrix and the reinforcer; and
DSC and TGA analysis shows that the interfacial
adhesion is retained upto higher temperatures.
Thermal stability of composite material was higher
than that of the matrix. This again indicates better
interfacial adhesion between the modified matrix and
jute fiber. Also the variation in melting temperature
of the composite and matrix was alomost negligible.
Relatively higher thermal degradation temperature of
the composite material indicates its potential for
engineering and commodity applications. The study
establishes the feasibility of processing jute fiber /
chemically modified polypropylene composites with
in-situ fiber/matrix interface generated by chemically
modified matrix. In-situ fiber/matrix interface is
retained upto higher temperatures, than that for
composites processed by fiber modification or
compatibilizer.

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