Effects of wet/dry-cycling and plasma treatments on the properties of flax nonwovens intended for composite reinforcing
This research analyzes the effects of different treatments on flax nonwoven (NW) fabrics which are intended for composite reinforcement. The treatments applied were of two different kinds: a wet/dry cycling which helps to stabilize the cellulosic fibers against humidity changes and plasma treatments...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Data de publicação: | 2016 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositório: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/82624 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/82624 https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma9020093 |
| Access Level: | Acceso aberto |
| Palavra-chave: | Cellulose fibers Plant fibers Composite materials Plasma treatment Surface functionalization Fibres de cel·lulosa Lli, fibra de Materials compostos Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria tèxtil::Fibres tèxtils::Fibres naturals Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria dels materials::Materials compostos |
| Resumo: | This research analyzes the effects of different treatments on flax nonwoven (NW) fabrics which are intended for composite reinforcement. The treatments applied were of two different kinds: a wet/dry cycling which helps to stabilize the cellulosic fibers against humidity changes and plasma treatments with air, argon and ethylene gases considering different conditions and combinations, which produce variation on the chemical surface composition of the NWs. The resulting changes in the chemical surface composition, wetting properties, thermal stability and mechanical properties were determined. Variations in surface morphology could be observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed significant changes to the surface chemistry for the samples treated with argon or air (with more content on polar groups on the surface) and ethylene plasma (with less content of polar groups). Although only slight differences were found in moisture regain and water retention values (WRV), significant changes were found on the contact angle values, thus revealing hydrophilicity for the air-treated and argon-treated samples and hydrophobicity for the ethylene-treated ones. Moreover, for some of the treatments the mechanical testing revealed an increase of the NW breaking force |
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