Influence of the recycled glass fibers from nonmetals of waste printed circuit boards on properties and reinforcing mechanism of polypropylene composites.

Yanhong Zheng; Zhigang Shen; Shulin Ma; Chujiang Cai; Xiaohu Zhao; Yushan Xing; Baohua Guo; Xinmiao Zeng; Liancai Wang

The feasibility of reusing the recycled glass fibers (RGF) from nonmetals of waste printed circuit boards in polypropylene (PP) composites is studied by mechanical properties, vicat softening temperature and heat distortion temperature. The influence of RGF on reinforcing mechanism of the composites is watched under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in situtensile test. The results show that the mechanical and thermal properties of the RGF/PP composites can be significantly improved by adding the RGF into PP. In situSEM observation results show that the RGF are the excellent supporting bodies and can effectively lead to mass microcracks. Crack initiation, propagation, and fiber breakage dissipate tremendous energy. Therefore, the mechanical properties are reinforced. All the above results indicate that the reuse of RGF in the PP composites represents a promising way for closing the recycling loop and realizing the high added value utilization. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010

GLASS fibers; POLYPROPYLENE; COMPOSITE materials; THERMAL properties; POLYMERS

Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2010, Vol 118, Issue 5, p2914

0021-8995

Academic Journal

10.1002/app.32589