Effect of green coupling agent from waste oil fatty acid on the properties of polypropylene/cocoa pod husk composites

Green coupling agent (GCA) made from waste oil fatty acid was used as an effective coupling agent for polypropylene (PP)/cocoa pod husk (CPH) composites. The results indicated that the incorporation of 0.5 phr of GCA shows a remarkable improvement on tensile strength, elongation at break and tensile modulus of PP/CPH composites. The composites with GCA also exhibited a higher crystallinity and thermal stability as well as water resistivity. The addition of GCA improved the filler dispersion and interfacial adhesion between PP and CPH. Moreover, some properties of PP/CPH composites with GCA are better compared to PP/CPH composites with MAPP or MAA. This outcome implied that GCA could be a potential coupling agent for thermoplastic composite materials.