Issue 51, 2017

Root-like natural fibers in polypropylene prepared via directed diffusion and self-assembly driven by hydrogen bonding

Abstract

Interfacial properties govern effective transfer of load from a polymer matrix to a reinforced fiber, dictating the mechanical performance of the composite. This paper reports a facile and controlled strategy of preparing root-like natural fibers (NFs) in polypropylene (PP), where the two components are integrated via mechanical interlocking provided by the interfacial grown fiber. Specifically, driven by hydrogen bonding between amide groups of the self-assembling molecules (NAs) and abundant hydroxyl groups existing in the NF, the former selectively diffuses and aggregates on the latter and then self-assembles into branched fibers, which can be tailored finely by the annealing temperature and time as well as cooling rate. This study opens up an interfacial manipulation without preliminary surface modification and holds great potential in preparing NF-reinforced polymer composites.

Graphical abstract: Root-like natural fibers in polypropylene prepared via directed diffusion and self-assembly driven by hydrogen bonding

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 May 2017
Accepted
18 Jun 2017
First published
23 Jun 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 32193-32197

Root-like natural fibers in polypropylene prepared via directed diffusion and self-assembly driven by hydrogen bonding

P. Huang, S. Shi, Y. Liu, M. Nie and Q. Wang, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 32193 DOI: 10.1039/C7RA05095J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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