Effects of two staining methods on color stability of wood flour/polypropylene composites during accelerated UV weathering

Two staining methods of wood flour/polypropylene composites in an attempt to improve the color stability of wood‐plastic composites (WPCs) were investigated. The first was to dye wood flour (WF) before compounding with polypropylene (PP) to make stained composites. The second method involved mixing pigments directly with WF and PP. Nine groups of composites were weathered in a QUV accelerated weathering tester for 960 h. Their surface color, surface gloss, washing resistance, and flexural properties were tested during weathering. Additionally, the weathered surface was characterized by SEM and ATR‐FTIR. The results revealed that (1) the washing resistance of composites were improved after staining treatments; (2) composites made of dyed WF showed higher surface gloss values and less cracks on weathered surface at the early stage of weathering; while composites containing pigments displayed brighter color, less color change, and less loss of flexural properties during weathering; and (3) weathering resulted in the protrusion of WF and photodegraded lignin on exposed surface. Adding pigments was proven to be more effective staining method for improving composite color stability during weathering. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1194–1205, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers