The Effects of Clay Dispersion on the Mechanical, Physical, and Flame-Retarding Properties of Wood Fiber/Polyethylene/Clay Nanocomposites

In this study, nanosized clay particles were introduced into wood fiber/plastic composites (WPCs) to improve their mechanical properties and flame retardancy, which are especially important in various automotive and construction applications. A high degree of exfoliation for nanoclay in the wood fiber/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites was successfully achieved with the aid of maleated HDPE (PE-g-MAn), through a melt blending masterbatch process. The structures and morphologies of the composites were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. This article presents the effects of clay content and degree of clay dispersion on the mechanical and physical properties and flame retardancy of wood fiber/HDPE composites that contained a small amount of clay, in the range of 3-5 wt %. We concluded that achieving a higher degree of dispersion for the nanosized clay particles is critical to enhance the mechanical properties and the flame retardancy of WPCs when small amounts of clay are used. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 452-461, 2010