Surface modification of cellulosic materials for polyethylene composite applications

Cellulose fibers obtained from aspen wood via the Organosolv pulping method were surface modified by maleated polyethylene (MAPE) in a xylene solution to improve their adhesion/dispersion in 30% wt. filled linear medium density polyethylene composites. The chemical analysis of unmodified and modified fibers as well as morphological, rheological, and mechanical characterizations of their composites showed that successful MAPE grafting on the fibers' surface was achieved leading to a substantial improvement of the fiber‐matrix interfacial quality as tensile strength improved by 29% when compared with the composites containing unmodified fibers. The treatment also improved the rigidity and creep resistance of these composites which is highly suitable for building and construction applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E202–E213, 2019. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers