Characterization of coconut fiber-filled polyvinyl chloride/acrylonitrile styrene acrylate blends

Coconut fiber-filled composites based on PVC/ASA blend were developed. The results reveal that the impact strengths of the PVC/ASA/coconut fiber composites are significantly higher than those of PVC wood composites or polyolefin wood composites when comparison was made at the same fiber content. Dynamic mechanical analysis thermograms exhibit two distinct glass transition temperatures (T-g(s)) of the blend matrix, indicating partial miscibility of the blends. The storage modulus at room temperature and T-g(s) of the composites systematically increase with the fiber content. The tensile strength value of the blend as high as 45 MPa was obtained and found to only slightly decrease with the fiber content. The PVC/ASA blend shows a potential use as a matrix of high-impact wood composite products with good thermal dimension stability due to the outstanding impact strength and thermal properties of the blend.