Behavioral variation by ionizing irradiation of recycled thermoplastic elastomer reinforced with natural fibers or inorganic fillers

Abstract

Fabrication of the blend WPE/EPDM, 50/50 wt%, the mineral nanocompsites WPE/EPDM/kaolin and WPE/EPDM/kaolin/ATH, and the biocomposites WPE/EPDM/bagasse and WPE/EPDM/sisal was successfully carried out. The feed ratio 50% was adopted to afford appropriate degree of crosslinking to the EPDM rubber that does not prevent phase inversion of the blend. Alternatively, the incorporation of a plausible share of plastic waste within the fabricated composite is a substantial objective for this work. Provided that the influence of a filler on a binary blend consists of two non-polar components of the ratio 1:1 is like its effect on each component separately as the functional groups are in equal ratio.

The inorganic and natural fiber additives were first treated to improve the aspect ratio and reduce the hydrophobicity, hence improve the interfacial compatibility. Additive modification was morphologically, physically and chemically verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform- infrared (FT-IR) techniques, respectively. Gamma irradiation was implemented to enhance the degree of strength in the composite matrix via establishing radiation- induced crosslinked network.

The developed products were morphologically, physically, mechanically and thermally characterized utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM); gel fraction (Gf) and chemical crosslink density (CLD) determinations; tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (Eb), elastic modulus and hardness measurements; and thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques, respectively. The lower oxygen index (LOI) of the binary nanocomposite system was identified as a function of flame-retardancy. Holistic comparative conclusions were eventually drawn between the mineral- and bio-composites in terms of filler content, radiation impact, mechanical and thermal behaviors.