Effect of Interactions between Interface Modifiers and Viscosity Modifiers on the Performance and Processibility of the Rice Hulls-HDPE Composites

Coupling agents are used in wood plastic composites to improve interfacial adhesion between natural fibers and polymers. However, improvement in interfacial adhesion leads to increased melt viscosity, thereby affecting the processing rate. To overcome this limitation, viscosity modifiers are added. Since interface modifiers and viscosity modifiers are chemically active substances, there is a high possibility of interactions between them. To investigate this point, the effect of interactions between viscosity modifiers and an interface modifier on melt flow viscosity and mechanical properties of the composite were analyzed. The results showed that the acrylated maleated polyethylene based interface modifier interacts synergistically with the partially halogenated viscosity modifier, whereas its interaction is antagonistic with the carboxylic acid amide based viscosity modifier.