Potential use of graft copolymers of mercerized flax as filler in polystyrene composite materials

Kalia, S., Sharma, S., Bhardwaj, B., Kaith, B. S., and Singha, A. S. (2008). "Potential use of graft copolymers of mercerized flax as filler in polystyrene composite materials," BioRes. 3(4), 1010-1019.

Abstract

Graft copolymerization of binary vinyl monomers onto mercerized flax fiber was carried out for the enhancement of mechanical properties of polystyrene composites. Binary vinyl monomer mixture of AA+AN has been found to show maximum grafting (33.55%) onto mercerized flax. Graft copolymers thus synthesized were characterized with FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, and TGA techniques. Mercerized flax (MF) showed maximum thermal stability in comparison to graft copolymers. It has been found that polystyrene composites reinforced with graft copolymers showed improvement in mechanical properties such as wear resistance, compressive strength, and tensile strength.

Download PDF