Effect of Plasma Treatment on the Wood Flour for Wood Flour/PP Composites.

Contact angles of various monomers are measured by goniometer to calculate surface energies in order to select the monomer with highest surface energy. The highest surface energy is obtained with hexamethyl-disiloxane and is used in plasma coating the wood flour to improve its bonding and dispersion with the polypropylene (PP). The mechanical test results and SEM inspections indicate the good dispersion and the good compatibility between the wood flour and the PP. Also, this method is considered as a nontoxic process as compared to other chemical bonding method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]