“Technical objective
The project is focused on materials design of biocomposites which are semi-structural,
recyclable and/or biodegradable. The term “semi-structural” needs to be defined. If 30wt%
glass fiber/polypropylene is selected as the reference material for substitution, it would mean
that the modulus should be > 6 GPa and the tensile strength > 85 MPa. In addition, the
materials should be recyclable and/or biodegradable. Current wood fiber/polypropylene
composites are not biodegradable, and recycling is challenging.
Research objectives
The main hypothesis is that multiscale materials and interface design of the composite
microstructure can dramatically enhance the performance of wood fiber biocomposites,
where high fiber content materials are of particular interest. Materials, interface and process
design includes selection and nanoscale design of wood fibers, microscale tailoring of wood
fiber organization, new processing concepts, interfaces for improved stress transfer
mechanisms, and inorganic/functional additives. Interfaces include both the fiber/polymer
matrix interface and fiber-fiber bonds in compressed fibrous materials of little or no polymer
matrix phase. In addition, larger scale lamination approaches are explored. Recycling and/or
biodegradability are important attributes influencing materials and interface design.”
