The MCC-HDPE composites were then compression-molded and the mechanical properties of the composites were determined. The thermal and morphological properties of the MCC-HDPE composites were characterized by using thermogravimetric and electron microscopy techniques, respectively. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Turk J Agric For (2015) 39: 39-47 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Vinyl acetate-modified microcrystalline cellulose-reinforced HDPE composites prepared by twin-screw extrusion 1, 1 1 2 Nihat Sami ÇETİN *, Nilgül ÖZMEN ÇETİN , David Paul HARPER Department of Forest Industry Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey 2 Center for Renewable Carbon, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: In order to compare the effects of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as a filler, MCC and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were produced with 4 different wt.% MCC loadings (1 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, and 20 wt.%). To improve the compatibility between MCC and the matrix, MCC was acetylated with vinyl acetate (VA), and 2 different MCC-HDPE composites were produced with 5 wt.% and 10 wt.% VA-modified MCC loadings. Untreated MCC and VA-modified MCC-reinforced HDPE pellets were produced by using a twin-screw extruder. The MCC-HDPE composites were then compression-molded and the mechanical properties of the composites were determined. The thermal and morphological properties of the MCC-HDPE composites were characterized by using thermogravimetric and electron microscopy techniques, respectively. The VA-modified MCC-filled HDPE had a significantly higher tensile strength than the unmodified MCC-filled or the neat HDPE composites. The thermal stability of MCC was also improved with VA modification. Key words: Acetylation, cellulose-based composites, high-density polyethylene, microcrystalline cellulose, vinyl acetate 1. Introduction Cellulose is the most abundant, renewable, and degradable biopolymer on earth. It can be obtained from various sources, such as trees, plant fibers, various sea animals (tunicin, chitin), and .
