Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber-reinforced thermoplastic corn starch composite

The ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers, as the fibrous morphology of polyethylene (PE), were first used to reinforce thermoplastic starch (TPS) by a twin screw extruder. The influence of the UHMWPE content on the mechanical and dynamic mechanical thermal properties, thermal stability, contact angle, torque rheological properties, and fractured surface morphology of the UHMWPE/TPS composites was studied in detail. We found that the UHMWPE fibers were well dispersed in the TPS matrix, and the mechanical properties and water resistance of the composites improved significantly. Especially, the incorporation of UHMWPE fibers at a content of 2 wt% generated a composite with better performance (tensile strength of 8.78 MPa and contact angle of 80.2 degrees).