Investigation of tribo-mechanical performance of alkali treated rice-husk and polypropylene-random-copolymer based biocomposites

Fahad Ali Rabbani; Muhammad Sulaiman; Fatima Tabasum; Saima Yasin; Tanveer Iqbal; Muhammad Shahbaz; M A Mujtaba; Shahid Bashir; H Fayaz; C Ahamed Saleel

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22028

Investigation of tribo-mechanical performance of alkali treated rice-husk and polypropylene-random-copolymer based biocomposites

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 8;9(11):e22028. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22028. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical, Polymer and Composite Materials Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, UET Lahore, Main Campus, Lahore 54890, Pakistan.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan.
⁴ Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Level 4, Wisma R&D, Universiti Malaya, Jalan Pantai Baharu, 59990 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁵ Modeling Evolutionary Algorithms Simulation and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Asir-Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study was based on the experimental performance evaluation of a wood polymer composite (WPC) that was synthesized by incorporating untreated and treated rice husk (RH) fibers into a polypropylene random copolymer matrix. The submicron-scale RH fibers were alkali-treated to modify the surface and introduce new functional groups in the WPC. A compatibilizer (maleic anhydride) and a thermos-mechanical properties modifier (polypropylene grafted with 30 % glass fiber) were used in the WPC. The effects of untreated and treated RH on the WPC panels were studied using FESEM, FTIR, and microscope images. A pin-on-disk setup was used to investigate the bulk tribological properties of PPRC and WPC. The complex relationship between the friction coefficient of different loading of RH fibers in the WPC, as a function of sliding distance, was analyzed along with the temperature and morphology of the surface. It was observed that untreated RH acted as a friction modifier, while treated RH acted as a solid lubricant. Microhardness was calculated using the QCSM module on nanoindentation. It was found that untreated RH led to an increase in microhardness, while treated RH caused a decrease in hardness compared to PPRC.

Keywords: Alkali treatment; Biocomposite; Fiber reinforced composite; Maleic anhydride; Microhardness; Rice husk; Tribology; Wood polymer composite.