Physical properties of silane-treated sugar palm fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane composites

Fiber modifications are widely utilized to enhance the interface of fiber and matrix adhesion based on eco-friendly fibers such as sugar palm fibers. The sugar palm (SP) fibers in particle size of 150-250μm were immersed in 2 wt. % silane for 3hrs in this research. Composites of untreated and treated sugar palm fibers reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with different fiber loadings, ranging from 0 to 50 wt. % were then prepared by melt mixing compounding followed by hot pressing moulding. The physical property such as density, water absorption and thickness swelling of the composites were evaluated. Ten replicates of SP/TPU composites with the standard dimension were immersed in distilled water for 168hrs. The chemical changes for untreated and treated through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was done to distinguish the untreated and silane treated of the SP/TPU composites. Increasing the fiber content resulted in higher water uptake and thickness swelling. Moreover, the silane treated SP/TPU composites was shown reducing water absorption and thickness swelling properties. This study is a part of exploration potential application of the composites for automotive part applications.