Abstract:

Triticale straw(TS) and refined triticale straw(RTS) were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) in detail, and their application in polypropylene(PP) composite was explored. RTS was obtained by refining TS with environmentally benign processes, by which hemicelluloses and lignin were effectively removed. This was proved by FTIR analysis. The effect of cellulose content on the composite thermal stability and mechanical properties was also examined. RTS has better thermal stability than TS because RTS has lower flammable noncellulose ratio. T_5%(temperature with mass loss of 5%) of RTS could be more than 200℃. It is high enough to meet the requests of processing most polyolefin composites. Both TS and RTS acted as nucleating agents in PP crystallization process. TS was proved to be a filler of the composite, and RTS to be a reinforcing material for the composite. The flexural strength and modulus of RTS/PP increased about by 5% and more than 100%, respectively, compared with those of PP, when the mass fraction of RTS and compatibilizer were 30% and 2%, respectively. The thermal stability of RTS/PP composites was also better than that of TS/PP composites.

Key words: Refined triticale straw, Characterization, Polypropylene, Composite