Influence of type and concentration of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene and impact modifiers on mechanical properties of PP/wood sawdust composites

Surface treatments of natural fibers in polymer‐wood composites (PWC) are still one of the most interesting subjects for research among technologists, especially with inclusion of other property modifiers in the composites. This work investigated the effects of incorporating different types and contents of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) and impact modifiers, as property promoters, on the mechanical properties of PP/wood sawdust composites. The concentration of wood sawdust was also varied. The experimental results revealed that increasing the wood fiber into the PP matrix reduced the overall strength and toughness of the composites. It was observed that the higher the impact modifier concentration, the greater the improvement in toughness of the PP/wood composites, and therefore an impact modifier with high comonomer content and high melt flow rate is recommended. This work recommends a MAPP concentration of 2.0 wt % (of sawdust) to be introduced into the PP/wood composites containing 11.1 wt % selected impact modifier, for optimization of the overall composite mechanical strength. The recommended MAPP coupling agent should possess a high wt % MAH‐grafting level and high molecular weight of PP copolymer.