Materials Sciences and Applications, 2015, 6, 724-733
Published Online August 2015 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/msa
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/msa.2015.68074
How to cite this paper: Motaung, T.E., Linganiso, L.Z., John, M. and Anandjiwala, R.D. (2015) The Effect of Silane Treated
Sugar Cane Bagasse on Mechanical, Thermal and Crystallization Studies of Recycled Polypropylene. Materials Sciences and
Applications, 6, 724-733. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/msa.2015.68074
The Effect of Silane Treated Sugar Cane
Bagasse on Mechanical, Thermal and
Crystallization Studies of Recycled
Polypropylene
Tshwafo E. Motaung
1*
, Linda Z. Linganiso
1,2
, Maya John
1,2
, Rajesh D. Anandjiwala
1,2
1
CSIR Materials Science and Manufacturing, Polymers and Composites Competence Area, Nonwovens and
Composites Research Group, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
2
Department of Textile Science, Faculty of Science, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth,
South Africa
Email:
*
TEMotaung@csir.co.za
Received 10 April 2015; accepted 31 July 2015; published 5 August 2015
Copyright © 2015 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Abstract
This article describes the results of an investigation on the influence of loading silane treated
sugar cane bagasse (SB) on the morphology and properties of recycled polypropylene (rPP). The
samples are prepared through melt extrusion followed by injection moulding. The Scanning elec-
tron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD)
results show that SB-rPP composites have a fairly strong interfacial interaction and a change in
crystallization for the highest containing SB composite, however, some fibre pull-outs are observed
as the SB content is increased. The interaction influences the thermal and mechanical properties
of the samples in a complex way. There are strong indications of a stronger interfacial interaction
on the highest containing SB composite, which is supposedly accountable for the increased crys-
tallinity and melting temperature.
Keywords
Sugar Cane Bagasse, Silane Treatment, Polypropylene Composites
1. Introduction
Interest in composite materials reinforced with natural fibres has recently increased considerably due to some
natural benefits of the fibres. These materials present low cost, low density, high specific properties and are
*
Corresponding author.