Study on the interface modification of bagasse fibre and the mechanical properties of its composite with PVC

The surface treatments of bagasse fibre (BF) with benzoic acid as a surface/interface modifier and the mechanical properties of BF-polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composite were studied. A typical process for the preparation of the composite was as follows: A mixture of PVC, BF, benzoic acid, and other processing additives were dry-blended in a two-roll mill followed by compression molding. The experimental results indicated that the ratio of PVC/BF, the content of benzoic acid, and processing temperature had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the composite, which was examined by the orthogonal optimal method. The interface modifier improved significantly on the tensile strength and little on the impact strength of the composite, for example, the tensile strength changed between 42 and 52 MPa comparing to the tensile strength of untreated BF/PVC composite (38 MPa), and the impact strength changed between 8.3 and 9.2 kJ/m2 comparing to the impact strength of untreated BF/PVC composite (7.5 kJ/m2) when the content of benzoic acid changed between 3 and 10%.