Effect on Properties of Corn Straw Fibers Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Wood plastic composite (WPC) has been rapidly developed because of its environmental friendliness and sustainability. In order to improve the interfacial compatibility between plant fiber and polypropylene (PP) matrix, three different cross-linking modification methods were used to treat corn straw fiber (CSF). These methods were glutaraldehyde/chitosan (GA/CS) crosslinking modification, KH560/chitosan crosslinking modification and glutaraldehyde/polyvinyl alcohol (GA/PVA) crosslinking modification. The characterization and the mechanical analysis of WPC showed that different cross-linking methods have different morphology on the surface of CSF. Compared with CSF-PP, the bending strength of GA/CS-CSF-PP and GA/PVA-CSF-PP were increased by 11.1% and 16.7%, respectively. This study provided appropriate methods to improve the interface compatibility between plant fiber and resin matrix.