High strength bio-composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) reinforced with chemically modified-fly ash

  • Dilip Chandra Deb Nath
  • , Sri Bandyopadhyay
  • , Aibing Yu
  • , Darryl Blackburn
  • , Chris White

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fly ash (FA) was chemically modified by activation with sodium hydroxide and used in fabrication of bio-composite films with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by aqueous casting method. The particle size distribution patterns of modified-fly ash (MFA) were shifted from 2-20 μm to the higher regions 2-40 μm in the analysis chart of Malvern Light Scattering Particle Size Analyser (MLSPSA). On the oxides based chemical analysis by X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), the compositions of major oxides, SiO2 73.5%, Al2O 3 19.2% and Na2O 1.4% were significantly changed to SiO2 52.9%, Al2O3 23.6% and Na2O 5.9%, due to the dissolution and re-crystallisation of new phases which are characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The composite film reinforced with 20 wt% MFA showed up to higher tensile strength 289% (three-fold) compared to those of unmodified FA filled films. The alkali treatment (sodium hydroxide) of FA is a very promising approach to improve the mechanical strength, and hence, further enhance the potential for recycling FA as a suitable filler material in bio-composite materials.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1354-1360
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Materials Science
Volume45
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2010

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'High strength bio-composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) reinforced with chemically modified-fly ash'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this