Blue agave fiber esterification for the reinforcement of thermoplastic composites

Blue agave fiber esterification and its use in thermoplastic composite reinforcement was the purpose of this research. Spectroscopic techniques indicated the occurrence of the esterification reaction, since signals for carbonyl groups were found through FT-IR (1750 cm(-1)) and C-13-CPMAS-NMR (172 ppm). Mechanical properties characterization showed that superficial modification was successfully achieved, since a change in the elastic modulus and improved impact resistance were observed when the modified fiber was used. In addition, electron microscopy studies indicated that the modified fiber produced an enhancement in fiber/HDPE interfacial interaction, since less fiber sliding evidence was observed on the composite surface. The Cox-Merz rule was used as an alternative tool in order to study composites rheometry along an expanded range of shear rate in the power law region. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.