Effects of Hydrothermal Pretreatment on Interfacial Characteristics and Performance of Wood Fiber-polyethylene Composites

HUANG Shangkun; LIU Taoqin; TIAN Hua; PENG Jiamei; MA Yinrui; ZENG Yi; XU Junjie; ZHOU Haiyang; LIU Tao; HAO Xiaolong

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.004

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (11) : 30-39. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.004

Special Topic on Functional Biomass Materials

Effects of Hydrothermal Pretreatment on Interfacial Characteristics and Performance of Wood Fiber-polyethylene Composites

HUANG Shangkun, LIU Taoqin, TIAN Hua, PENG Jiamei, MA Yinrui, ZENG Yi, XU Junjie, ZHOU Haiyang, LIU Tao, HAO Xiaolong^*

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Abstract

The work aims to investigate the effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the polar surface energy of WF, as well as the interfacial bonding and properties of its corresponding composites, so as to verify whether reducing the surface free energy of wood fiber (WF) can improve the interfacial compatibility between wood fiber and polyethylene (HDPE) matrix. By regulating the hydrothermal pretreatment time of WF, wood-plastic composites (WPCs) with WF content of 60 wt.%-80 wt.% were prepared with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as the matrix via melt blending, granulation and extrusion molding. The properties of WF and the obtained composites were systematically characterized through a series of methods including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), particle size analysis, contact angle test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and mechanical performance test. The polar surface energy of WF after 9 h of hydrothermal pretreatment was 7.84 mJ/m², which was 39.59% lower than that of the control group (CTR), and the polar surface energy compatibility between WF and non-polar polyethylene was enhanced. However, compared with CTR-80, the tensile and flexural strengths of HT9-80 decreased by 17.81% and 16.40%, respectively. Meanwhile, its impact strength reached 8.42 kJ/m², representing an increase of 40.13%, the creep strain at 30 °C was reduced by 40.83%, and the coefficient of thermal expansion along the length direction dropped to 7.2×10^-6 °C^-1. Under the conditions employed in this study, although hydrothermal pretreatment reduces the surface polarity of WF and improves the matching degree of surface free energy with non-polar polyolefin, it does not improve the interfacial compatibility of WPCs to achieve the expected goals of enhancing tensile and flexural properties. The effect of 9 h hydrothermal pretreatment on the morphology and dimensional characteristics of WF fibers is a key factor leading to the change in the comprehensive performance of the composites.

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wood-plastic composites (WPCs) / interfacial interaction / surface polarity / hydrothermal pretreatment

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HUANG Shangkun, LIU Taoqin, TIAN Hua, PENG Jiamei, MA Yinrui, ZENG Yi, XU Junjie, ZHOU Haiyang, LIU Tao, HAO Xiaolong. Effects of Hydrothermal Pretreatment on Interfacial Characteristics and Performance of Wood Fiber-polyethylene Composites[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(11): 30-39 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.004

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