Structure examination of wood-polymer composites
Renata Caban, Zbigniew Bałaga
Quarterly No. 3, 2014 pages 119-122
DOI:
keywords: wood-polymer composites, X-ray diffraction
abstract This paper presents the results of examinations of wood-polymer composites based on mixed polypropylene (PP) and sawdust. Composites with a different volumetric content of wood were prepared (25, 50 and 70% filler). Injection molding technology was used to obtain the research samples. The authors also employed X-ray diffraction, an optical microscope and a transmission scanning microscope. Based on the X-ray diffraction analysis, the presence of several polymorphic forms of the polypropylene were found in the composites used in the study. The crystalline fraction of the matrix in the studied composites is composed of an alpha phase which crystallizes in a monoclinic lattice and a b phase which crystallizes in a hexagonal system. Microscopic analysis revealed irregular distribution of the wood particles in the matrix of the tested composites.