LEAVES BASED ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY POLYMER COMPOSITES

The work deals with the obtaining and research of new composite materials based on renewable plant raw materials-leafs (Platanus orientalis) and binders-styrene and triethoxy(vinylphenethyl)silane. These composite materials are characterised by better physical-mechanical properties and water absorption, than wood particle boards made on the basis of phenol-formaldehyde resins. The ecologically friendly new composite materials have been obtained under constant pressure and at different temperatures, the optimal conditions for making composite materials have been established. For the samples water absorption, bending strength, impact viscosity, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), thermal stability (Vicat method), spectral (FTIR), optical microscopic and (SEM) scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations were examined.