Biocarbon reinforced polypropylene composite: An investigation of mechanical and filler behavior through advanced dynamic atomic force microscopy and X-ray micro CT

Polymer composites were manufactured using biocarbon particles as a reinforcing filler to improve the mechanical and thermal properties. However, a detailed examination of dispersion and agglomeration of filler is essential to correlate the filler matrix and the filler and filler interactions with the mechanical properties of the product. We investigated the variations of mechanical, agglomeration behaviour of fillers, and thermal properties of polypropylene coconut shell biocarbon composites. PP CSB composites were prepared by melt mixing process varying the CSB content using a Brabender mixer. The nanomechanical mapping of the composites studied using Atomic Force Microscopy revealed an increase in Youngs modulus from 1.6 to 2.9 GPa when CSB loading increased from 0 to 20 weight percentage. The dispersion and agglomeration of CSB filler in the PP matrix were investigated using 3D reconstructed images with the help of X-ray micro CT, and a dedicated 3D reconstruction software. The thermal stability of the PP CSB composites also improved with an increase in CSB content in PP.