Effects of kenaf loading and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane coupling agent on the properties of polypropylene/waste tire dust/kenaf composites

The effects of kenaf (KNF) loading and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) on processing torque, tensile properties and morphological properties of KNF-filled polypropylene (PP)/waste tire dust (WTD) composites were investigated. In this research, PP/WTD served as a matrix and KNF as a filler and the composites were prepared using a Thermo Haake Polydrive internal mixer, where different KNF loadings (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 parts per hundred parts of resin) were used. The results revealed that the stabilization torque and tensile modulus increased with increasing KNF loading but tensile strength and elongation at break were found to decrease. The composites with APTES exhibited higher stabilization torque, tensile strength and tensile modulus but lower elongation at break than composites without APTES. The presence of APTES had enhanced the interfacial adhesion between PP/WTD matrix and KNF, which had resulted in higher tensile strength and modulus of the composites. These findings were supported by the morphological study on the tensile fractured surfaces of the composites.