Papers by Koay Seong Chun
Article Agrowaste-based
composites from cocoa pod husk and polypropylene: Effect of filler content and chemical treatment
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most popular 3D printing approaches among end-user... more Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most popular 3D printing approaches among end-users due to its lower cost, ease of operation, and wide range of material choices. However, the use of composite filament produced from recycled plastic and agriculture waste is still relatively uncommon. This research focuses on developing composite filament from corn husk fiber (CHF) and recycled single-use polypropylene for FFF. In this work, neat recycled polypropylene (rPP) and rPP/CHF composites were extruded into filament for FFF printing. It was observed that increasing the CHF content would reduce the print quality of the parts, as visible air gaps and voids were found on the printed surface and within the layers. Never
Composite Filament Made from Post-used Styrofoam and Corn Husk Fiber for Fuse Deposition Modeling
Journal of Natural Fibers
This research aimed at developing composite filament for fuse deposition modeling (FDM) applicati... more This research aimed at developing composite filament for fuse deposition modeling (FDM) application was carried out by recycling post-used expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) as a binding matrix for na...
Journal of Physical Science
Styrofoam is amongst one of the highly used packaging materials due to its lightweight and vibrat... more Styrofoam is amongst one of the highly used packaging materials due to its lightweight and vibration isolate properties. The usage of styrofoam rises yearly, but it is seldom received by the recycling facilities to recycle the post-consumed styrofoam due to the poor economic viability. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential value of recycling post-consumed styrofoam as feedstock in producing sustainable composite materials. Therefore, this study would increase the feasibility and interest in recycling of styrofoam and indirectly continue the life cycle of styrofoam waste. In this study, the composites with varying compositions were of recycled polystyrene (rPS), coconut shell (CS) and maleated polystyrene (MAPS) compounded using an internal mixer. The effects of compositions on torque rheological, flexural and morphological properties of the composites were investigated. The findings showed that rPS/CS composites filled with more CS content possesses higher p...
Polymer Bulletin, 2016
Green coupling agent (GCA) made from waste oil fatty acid was used as an effective coupling agent... more Green coupling agent (GCA) made from waste oil fatty acid was used as an effective coupling agent for polypropylene (PP)/cocoa pod husk (CPH) composites. The results indicated that the incorporation of 0.5 phr of GCA shows a remarkable improvement on tensile strength, elongation at break and tensile modulus of PP/CPH composites. The composites with GCA also exhibited a higher crystallinity and thermal stability as well as water resistivity. The addition of GCA improved the filler dispersion and interfacial adhesion between PP and CPH. Moreover, some properties of PP/CPH composites with GCA are better compared to PP/CPH composites with MAPP or MAA. This outcome implied that GCA could be a potential coupling agent for thermoplastic composite materials.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Fuse deposition modelling (FDM) has become a revolutionary manufacturing technology as it offers ... more Fuse deposition modelling (FDM) has become a revolutionary manufacturing technology as it offers numerous advantages, including freedom of fabrication, mass customisation, fast prototyping, and cost-effectiveness. Thermoplastic material is commonly used as feedstock for FDM process. The current state of material development, the recycled plastic material also can be used as printing material for FDM machine. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has been extensively used as packaging materials for many industries but rarely be recycled, as its relatively large volume with minimal weight is unconducive for transportation. This research aimed to utilize EPS waste and turn it into FDM feedstock. This research also aims to enhance the properties of recycled polystyrene (rPS) made from EPS waste by blending it with polypropylene (PP). Different ratios of rPS/PP blends were prepared and extruded into FDM filament using filament extruder. The formulated filaments were printed into specimen using FDM ...
Recycling Polymer Blend made from Post-used Styrofoam and Polyethylene for Fuse Deposition Modelling
Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2021
Styrofoam is widely used as packaging material for many applications like home furniture and elec... more Styrofoam is widely used as packaging material for many applications like home furniture and electrical appliance. Styrofoam is a non-biodegradable material which its disposal causes serious environment issues. This research demonstrates an alternate recycling method of Styrofoam waste by converting it into 3D printing filament for Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). For this research, the recycled polystyrene (rPS) was extracted from Styrofoam waste and blended with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), then extruded into filament using a filament extruder. The formulated rPS/LDPE blend with different blend ratio exhibited a good printability when the printing temperature and extrusion rate fixed at 240°C and 120%. However, the tensile strength of printed specimens with rPS/LDPE blends were lower than printed specimen with neat rPS. The tensile strength and modulus of printed specimens with rPS/LDPE were decreased due to the increase of LDPE content. The decrease of tensile strength mainl...
Journal of Physical Science, 2021
Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) process uses electrodes made from graphite that wear out over ... more Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) process uses electrodes made from graphite that wear out over time and are turned into scrap. In this research, EDM electrode scraps were recycled and turned into graphite powder (rGP). This rGP was used as a conductive filler to produce conductive polymer composite (CPC) material by combining it with polypropylene (PP) resin via melt compounding and compression moulding processes. The percolation threshold of this composite material changed when 30 wt% of rGP was added, whereby the insulative material changed became antistatic. The composite was able to achieve surface resistivity as low as 105 ohm/sq. However, the addition of higher rGP content deteriorated the tensile properties of composite, whereby the tensile strength of composite significantly decreased as compared to neat PP. The results also showed that the tensile modulus of this composite became higher, and the material became more brittle as compared to neat PP. However, the PP/rGP comp...
Natural fibre reinforced composites (NFRC) possess the tendency of being highly flammable in natu... more Natural fibre reinforced composites (NFRC) possess the tendency of being highly flammable in nature. The current paper investigates the effectiveness of expandable graphite (EG) on the enhancement of the flame retardancy of palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibre filled diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) thermoset epoxy composites. The EFB was treated with 5 wt% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to improve fibre surface adhesion with the epoxy matrix. In this research, two approaches were employed to introduce EG with concentration ranging from 1 to 5 wt% into the epoxy composite filled with 20 wtn% of EFB. The first approach involved infusion of a pre-mixed EG filled epoxy resin into EFB mat during composite fabrication while the second approach considered was the application of EG filled epoxy resin as a surface coating onto post cured EFB epoxy composite. The flammability, thermal and mechanical properties were studied through a series of experiments, such as the Bunsen burner test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile, flexural and impact tests. The results showed that increasing EG concentration capable of enhancing the flame retardancy and mechanical behaviour in both approaches, with 5 wt% EG demonstrated superior performance in fire resistant and mechanical properties amongst other formulations.
This research investigated the lattice structure fabricated using corn husk fibre reinforced recy... more This research investigated the lattice structure fabricated using corn husk fibre reinforced recycled polystyrene composite using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The material’s properties of this composite material were obtained from previous study. Then, the lattice structure of lattice structure was created using Creo® software and the FEA simulation was done by ANSYS software. In this study, the lattice structures were created using triangular prism and hexagonal prism. The analysis was divided into two conditions: 1) lattice structure with different prism shape and similar surface area, 2) lattice structure with varies of strut thickness and 3) lattice structure with different prism shape and similar lattice parameter. The results show the lattice structure with triangular prism have more structural integrity than hexagonal prism. Then, lattice structure with triangular prism can be built with lesser material but stronger and stiffer than lattice structure with hexagonal prism.
Solvent-cast Biofilm from Poly(lactic) Acid and Durian Husk Fiber: Tensile, Water Absorption, and Biodegradation Behaviors
Journal of Natural Fibers, 2020
The issues of petroleum-based plastics are increasing day by day, causing environmental and healt... more The issues of petroleum-based plastics are increasing day by day, causing environmental and health impacts. One of the alternative ways to reduce these issues is to introduce a new biocomposite mat...
Preparation and characterisation of 3D printer filament from post-used styrofoam
13TH INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH CONFERENCE (13TH EURECA 2019), 2020
3D printing is quickly becoming a maJor manufacturing process in recent years, with fused deposit... more 3D printing is quickly becoming a maJor manufacturing process in recent years, with fused deposition modelling (FDM) being the most popular method. The use of thermoplastic waste as feedstock for F...
Polymer Engineering & Science, 2018
Thermal and biodegradation properties of chitosan (CS)/corn cob (CC) biocomposite films and their... more Thermal and biodegradation properties of chitosan (CS)/corn cob (CC) biocomposite films and their irradiation-crosslinked were tested. The CS/CC biocomposite films after irradiation showed better thermal stability and lower weight loss in enzymatic and soil biodegradation in comparison with unirradiated CS/CC biocomposite films due to the formation of new bonds (radiation-induced crosslinks). The surface erosion for biodegraded biocomposite films were examined by scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, the formation of new bonds in irradiated biocomposite films were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI.,
Surface modification of coconut shell powder filled polylactic acid biocomposites
Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials, 2012
The acrylic acid was used as chemical modifier to improve the properties of coconut shell powder ... more The acrylic acid was used as chemical modifier to improve the properties of coconut shell powder (CSP) filled polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites. The effects of filler content and acrylic acid on tensile properties, thermal properties, and morphology of PLA/CSP biocomposites were investigated. It was found that the addition of CSP to PLA biocomposites have decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break, however the modulus of elasticity increased. The treated PLA/CSP biocomposites with acrylic acid have higher tensile strength and modulus of elasticity but lower elongation at break. Surface treatment using acrylic acid has enhanced filler–matrix interaction. The thermal stability of biocomposites increased with increasing CSP content. The treated biocomposites has better thermal stability than untreated biocomposites. The dispersion and interfacial adhesion between the CSP and PLA polymer were important factor to improve the thermal stability of treated biocomposites. The b...
Polymer Engineering and Science , 2022
This research focused on developing recycled polymer blend filament from post-consumer expanded p... more This research focused on developing recycled polymer blend filament from post-consumer expanded polystyrene and single-use polypropylene container for fuse filament fabrication (FFF). In this work, recycled polystyrene (rPS)/ recycled polypropylene (rPP) blend was extruded into filament for FFF print
Fuse deposition modelling (FDM) has become a revolutionary manufacturing technology as it offers ... more Fuse deposition modelling (FDM) has become a revolutionary manufacturing technology as it offers numerous advantages, including freedom of fabrication, mass customisation, fast prototyping, and cost-effectiveness. Thermoplastic material is commonly used as feedstock for FDM process. The current state of material development, the recycled plastic material also can be used as printing material for FDM machine. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has been extensively used as packaging materials for many industries but rarely be recycled, as its relatively large volume with minimal weight is unconducive for transportation. This research aimed to utilize EPS waste and turn it into FDM feedstock. This research also aims to enhance the properties of recycled polystyrene (rPS) made from EPS waste by blending it with polypropylene (PP). Different ratios of rPS/PP blends were prepared and extruded into FDM filament using filament extruder. The formulated filaments were printed into specimen using FDM machine. This research found the filament made from rPS/PP blends can be printed into specimen with good printing quality if the nozzle temperature controlled at 240 o C with 120 % extrusion rate. With this printing parameter, the specimen printed with rPS/PP blend filament exhibit the greatest adhesion between the deposited layers without any visible voids or gaps. Besides, the printed specimen with rPS/PP blends possess lower tensile strength, but higher tensile modulus as compared to the printed specimen with neat rPS. The addition of more PP decreased both tensile strength and modulus of rPS/PP blends. On the other hand, the rPS/PP blends have higher thermal stability as the PP content increased. Overall, the rPS/PP blends filament shows a great potential as a feedstock material for FDM fabrication.
Styrofoam is widely used as packaging material for many applications like home furniture and elec... more Styrofoam is widely used as packaging material for many applications like home furniture and electrical appliance. Styrofoam is a non-biodegradable material which its disposal causes serious environment issues. This research demonstrates an alternate recycling method of Styrofoam waste by converting it into 3D printing filament for Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). For this research, the recycled polystyrene (rPS) was extracted from Styrofoam waste and blended with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), then extruded into filament using a filament extruder. The formulated rPS/LDPE blend with different blend ratio exhibited a good printability when the printing temperature and extrusion rate fixed at 240 o C and 120%. However, the tensile strength of printed specimens with rPS/LDPE blends were lower than printed specimen with neat rPS. The tensile strength and modulus of printed specimens with rPS/LDPE were decreased due to the increase of LDPE content. The decrease of tensile strength mainly caused by the incompatibility between the rPS and LDPE phases. However, the addition of more LDPE content in the blend enhanced the ductility of rPS/LDPE blends. Furthermore, the increase of LDPE content also increased the thermal stability of rPS/LDPE blends. Overall, the rPS/LDPE blend is a potential alternate material for producing FDM filament.
This research produced the filament by blending the recycled polystyrene (rPS) from post-used Sty... more This research produced the filament by blending the recycled polystyrene (rPS) from post-used Styrofoam and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This study used polystyrenegrafted-maleic anhydride (PS-g-MA) as a compatibilizer to the rPS/LDPE blend. The formulated filaments were printed into specimens using a FDM printer. The visual inspection results showed that the printed specimens displayed better adhesion as the printing temperature and extrusion rate percentage increased. The addition of PS-g-MA also enhanced the adhesion of the printed layers. In terms of tensile properties, adoption of PS-g-MA also significantly improved the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the printed specimens. Furthermore, the addition of PSg-MA increased the degree of crystallinity but it has shown no significant effect on the melting temperature. In addition, compatibilized rPS/LDPE blend samples possessed higher onset thermal degradation temperatures than the uncompatibilized rPS/LDPE blend sample, where higher onset thermal degradation temperature indicated that the material has better thermal stability. Overall, PS-g-MA was an effective compatibilizer to the immiscible rPS/LDPE blend filament where improvements of overall material properties and print quality can be observed, and especially with 5 wt% of PS-g-MA compatibilizer content, the tensile, thermal properties and print quality were improved the most.
Chrysanthemum flower is among one of the highly sought after and widely planted flower crops, in ... more Chrysanthemum flower is among one of the highly sought after and widely planted flower crops, in particular for cultural and religious ceremonies. However, the chrysanthemum stem and stalk have little value and usually discard as by-product waste from floristry. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential value of utilizing chrysanthemum stem and stalk as reinforcing fillers for thermoplastic composites. In this study, 2-mm thick composite sheet containing predefined formulations of polylactic acid (PLA), chrysanthemum waste filler (CWF) ranging from 15 to 60 phr, and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent up to 5 phr were prepared with the aid of Haake internal mixer and compression molding. The effect of MAPE loading on tensile, thermal, and morphological properties of PLA/CWF composites was investigated. The findings revealed that PLA/CWF composite attained improved tensile modulus compared to the neat PLA, and the tensile modulus increases with higher concentration of CWF. However, both tensile strength and elongation at break reduces with increase loading of CWF. Overall, PLA/CWF composites with MAPE shows better performance compared to those without MAPE, where an optimum strength of 21.8 MPa can be achieved with 60 phr CW and 3 phr MAPE. The measured tensile strength is comparable to alternatives natural fiber thermoplastic composites demonstrating its potential to be used in non-structurally demanding application. J. VINYL
This research focused on utilizing the natural fibres extracted from chrysanthemum waste in produ... more This research focused on utilizing the natural fibres extracted from chrysanthemum waste in producing composite material using resin infusion processing method. The chrysanthemum waste fibres were extracted using water retting method then the fibres were further treated with Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Acrodur binder. This research investigated the effects of these treatment methods on the tensile and morphological properties of the composite. Prior to the infusion process, the CW fibres were made into fibre mat using water laid method. Then, these fibre mats were infused with epoxy resin and made into composite. This research found the CW fibre mat with NaOH and Acrudor binder treatments were able to produce a composite with tensile strength and modulus of 23.6 MPa and 4612.8 MPa, respectively. In short, the CW fibre have potential in being used to produce composite material that can be used for nonload bearing application.
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Papers by Koay Seong Chun