Regresar

Development of composites of highly filled phenol formaldehyde resin - Coconut (Cocos nucifera) endocarp particles

Abstract:

Considering the growing interest in the development of new materials based on renewable materials, this paper presents the results of experiments carried out with high content (80 to 95%) of coconut endocarp particles in phenol formaldehyde resin for the development of composite material by compression molding. The morphology of the particles and chemical composition and thermal stability of both the particles and the resin were evaluated. Tensile and flexural properties of the composites exhibited significant improvements with increasing resin content, attributed to good bonding between the resin and the particles and the presence of fewer voids in the composites as well as to the microstructural homogeneity, as corroborated by the fractographic studies. The thermal stability of the composites is influenced by the proportion of particles, while the swelling characteristics are affected by the amount of resin. The results taken together suggest that the developed composite can be used for various applications. © Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich.