Abstract:
The mineral can be found in the region of Abaeté - Minas Gerais in Brazil is a rock composed of quartz, potassium feldspar, albite, white mica and glauconite.
It contains a high content of K_2 O which can reach up to 14% and therefore has been used as an agricultural fertilizer. The present study aims to use the same as a natural reinforcement for polymers, specifically polypropylene, in order to obtain products with higher mechanical properties and more advantageous price relative to other polymeric reinforcements such as glass fibers, wollastonite, lapinus fibers and talc.
In order to analyze its potential as polymer reinforcement, tensile strength, hardness, Vickers micro hardness tests and density determination were performed.
After insertion of the fiber to the polymer matrix of polypropylene (PP), the evaluation of its mechanical properties and analysis of the morphology of the composites by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out, in order to investigate its behavior in the polymer matrix. Aiming to improve the interaction of the polymer matrix with the mineral filler, a superficial treatment of the verdigris with an organosilane was carried out to transform it from the filler to the polymer reinforcement, thus maximizing its value and potential use