Production and properties of the fibrillated plastic composite from recycled polystyrene and Luffa cylindrica

• Published in: Polymer bulletin (Berlin, Germany) Germany), 2023-09, Vol.80 (9), p.9569-9588
• Main Authors: Adeniyi, Adewale George, Abdulkareem, Sulyman A., Adeyanju, Comfort A., Abdulkareem, Maryam T., Odimayomi, Kayode P., Iwuozor, Kingsley O., Amoloye, Mubarak A., Belgore, Ridwan O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carboxylic acids; Cellulose; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Composite materials; Contact angle; Damping; Dynamic mechanical analysis; Fiber pullout; Fiber reinforced polymers; Flexibility; Fourier transforms; Functional groups; Hardness tests; Infrared analysis; Lignin; Loss modulus; Mechanical properties; Organic Chemistry; Original Paper; Photomicrographs; Physical Chemistry; Polymer matrix composites; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Polystyrene resins; Scanning electron microscopy; Soft and Granular Matter; Spectrum analysis; Storage modulus; Viscoelasticity; Waste management
• ISSN: 0170-0839; 1436-2449
• DOI: 10.1007/s00289-022-04511-9

Luffa cylindrica fibre and polystyrene are both wastes seen on farmland and in public waste streams, respectively, causing nuisance in the environment. This study was aimed at the preparation and characterization of composites produced from Luffa fibre reinforced with polystyrene resin. The prime objective of this study is to evaluate the morphological properties (using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray), identify the functional groups (using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) present and elucidate the mechanical properties (using dynamic mechanical analysis and hardness tests) of the fibre and composites. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of functional groups such as the hydroxyl, carboxylic acid, alkene and methylene groups, which indicate the presence of the Luffa fibre in the composite samples. SEM micrographs showed that better adhesion exists between the sample containing 20% Luffa fibre and at an increased magnification and further increasing the fibre concentration in the composite resulted in fibre pull out from over-saturation. EDX results showed that the composites were majorly composed of carbon (> 40%) and oxygen. The DMA experiments conducted at varying frequencies of 1.66, 2.50 and 5.00 Hz showed that incorporating Luffa fibre into the matrix reduced the loss modulus and damping peaks of the polymer matrix composite. However, the raw Luffa fibre was observed to contain the highest storage modulus, while the optimum fibre filler was found to lie between 20 and 30% of the Luffa fibre. It was also observed that the hardness value increased as the percentage of fibre in the composite increased and vice versa. Graphical abstract