Study On mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of poly (ethylene terephthalate) reinforced date palm leaf fiber montmorrilonite nanocomposites

Abstract

Developments in feasible recycled poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PETr) reinforced with surface treated date palm leaf fiber (DPLF) nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties have been studied. Surface modified date palm leaf fiber reinforced PETr/MMT nanocomposites were prepared using twin-screw extruder followed by injection molding. The influence of MMT addition on the mechanical and thermal behavior of the PETr matrix was evaluated. Obtained results showed remarkable enhancements in mechanical properties of PETr/DPLF/MMT nanocomposites upon the addition of five phr nanoclay, which exhibit 8.3% and 38.7% improvements in tensile and flexural modulus respectively compared to those of PETr. The crystallization behavior of the samples analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated a decrease in the onset crystallization temperature and showed a higher degree of crystallinity of the nanocomposites compared to PETr, manifesting that both DPLF and MMT could act as nucleating agents. The results point to the nanocomposite's potential in wider outdoor application fields.