Everything About Wood: Fabrication of a Nano-ZnO/Polyethylene/Wood-Fiber Composite with Enhanced Microwave Absorption and Photocatalytic Activity via a Facile Hot-Press Method.

Thursday, 4 January 2018

Fabrication of a Nano-ZnO/Polyethylene/Wood-Fiber Composite with Enhanced Microwave Absorption and Photocatalytic Activity via a Facile Hot-Press Method.

Author

Dang B1, Chen Y2, Shen X3, Chen B4, Sun Q5,6, Jin C7,8.

Author information

1: School of Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. dang972028790@163.com.
2: School of Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. 18868195633@sina.cn.
3: School of Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. sxp1031@hotmail.com.
4: Zhejiang New Wood Material Technology Co., Ltd., Ningbo 315300, China. cb19871001@126.com.
5: School of Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. qfsun@zafu.edu.cn.
6: Key Laboratory of Wood Science and Technology, Hangzhou 311300, China. qfsun@zafu.edu.cn.
7: School of Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. jincd@zafu.edu.cn.
8: Key Laboratory of Wood Science and Technology, Hangzhou 311300, China. jincd@zafu.edu.cn.

Abstract

A polyethylene/wood-fiber composite loaded with nano-ZnO was prepared by a facile hot-press method and was used for the photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds as well as for microwave absorption. ZnO nanoparticles with an average size of 29 nm and polyethylene (PE) powders were dispersed on the wood fibers' surface through a viscous cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) solution. The reflection loss (RL) value of the resulting composite was -21 dB, with a thickness of 3.5 mm in the frequency of 17.17 GHz. The PE/ZnO/wood-fiber (PZW) composite exhibited superior photocatalytic activity (84% methyl orange degradation within 300 min) under UV light irradiation. ZnO nanoparticels (NPs) increased the storage modulus of the PZW composite, and the damping factor was transferred to the higher temperature region. The PZW composite exhibited the maximum flexural strength of 58 MPa and a modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 9625 MPa. Meanwhile, it also displayed dimensional stability (thickness swelling value of 9%).