Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/wood sawdust particles composites: mechanical and morphological properties

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of biocomposites consisting of thermoplastics and cellulosic materials. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a popular thermoplastic material in engineering applications. The wood sawdust generated from manufacturing products made from jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., family Moraceae) is a promising cellulosic material for biocomposite materials due to its availability and environmental friendliness. In this paper, wood polymer composites were prepared using a twin-screw extruder with ABS and varying ratios of wood sawdust particles. The scanning electron microscopy images confirmed the proper mixing of filler material with the matrix. Mechanical tests were conducted on the composites to evaluate their impact, tensile, and flexural strength per ASTM standard. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was performed to determine the viscoelastic properties of the composites. The results showed that the mechanical properties decreased with increasing wood sawdust content. The wood sawdust content significantly affected the viscoelastic properties of the composites. Interestingly, the storage modulus was the highest in composites with 20% (by weight) wood sawdust content, while the loss modulus remained almost the same across all composites. The findings suggest that the wood polymer composites made from jackfruit wood sawdust and ABS exhibit comparable physical property to virgin polymer and could be used for various structural materials. Graphical Abstract