Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) can be used to study the surface characteristics of individual wood, plastic and additive components prior to processing into wood-thermoplastic composites (WPC). Such information may be helpful to tailor and improve the molecular bonding and stress transfer capacity between the reinforcement and matrix in order to enhance the resulting durability and mechanical performance of the completed composite. The main feature of IGC is surface energy characterization of materials in particle, fibrous or powder form, e.g. wood processing byproducts. This paper covers some background information about the IGC technique as well as some initial trials to determine surface energy heterogeneity of some ground wood and micro crystalline cellulose components of different size distributions.
Keywords: Inverse gas chromatography, wood plastic composites, surface energy characterization
Authors
Segerholm B.K.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Building Materials, Stockholm, Sweden
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, EcoBuild, Stockholm, Sweden
Wålinder M.E.P.
Université de KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Building Materials, Stockholm, Sweden
Deputy Centre Manager of EcoBuild, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden,LERMAB, France
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