Silane crosslinked wood plastic composites: Processing and properties

The focus of the study has been to produce silane crosslinked wood plastic composites in a compounding process. Silane crosslinking is one way to improve the mechanical and long-term properties of wood plastic composites. Silane crosslinked composites with different amounts of vinyltrimethoxy silane were produced in a compounding process using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The composites were stored in a sauna and at room temperature to study the effect of humidity on the degree of crosslinking. Gel content and swelling experiments showed that the highest degree of crosslinking was found in the composites stored in a sauna. The crosslinked composites showed toughness, impact strength and creep properties superior to those composites to which no silane was added. The flexural modulus, on the other hand, was lower in the crosslinked samples than in the non-crosslinked ones. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements of the composites showed a lower crystallinity in the crosslinked samples than in the non-crosslinked.