Grafting telinne monspessulana fiber with vinyl-trimethoxysilane. Effect of dicumyl peroxide catalyst

Abstract

The use of natural fibers as reinforcing fillers involves performing surface treatments to reduce hydrophilicity and improve
the compatibility of the vegetable particle with polymers. In this investigation natural Smooth Retama fiber (Telinne
Monspessulana) was treated with silane coupling agent vinyl-trimethoxysilane (VTMS). Silane was pre-hydrolyzed in
aqueous ethanol /water 80/20 for 1 h, maintaining the pH between 3.0-3.5. Subsequently, the fiber was immersed in the
solution of pre-hydrolyzed silane for 3 h. Treated fiber was washed with distilled water and dried for 24 h at 45 °C. Finally,
soxhlet extraction was performed to the fiber to remove residual silane. The influence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) catalyst on
the silane grafting process with the natural fiber was analyzed. By analyzing infrared spectroscopy FTIR, ash content, and
scanning electron microscopy (SEM) quantitatively and qualitatively the positive effect of organic peroxide was determined
as a catalyst for VTMS.