Effect of modified wood fiber on tensile properties of wood fiber- HDPE composites

Use of natural fiber reinforcements has gained considerable attention in composite technology. But a notable disadvantage of natural fibers is their structural polarity which makes themincompatible with hydrophobic matrix [1-2]. This in turn leads to impaired mechanical properties of the composites [3]. Inthis study adhesion property of wood fiber surface was improved by chemical modification to enhance its miscibility with the plastic matrix. This was achieved by using a reactivediisocyanate (toluenediisocyanate, TDI) linker to couple wood fiber with a fatty alcohol (cetyl alcohol) to tentatively form core-shell like structures