The Enhancement Mechanism for Effect of Silane Coupling Agent Modification of Polypropylene‐Based Disposable Medical Masks on the Performance of Fly Ash‐Based Geopolymer

ABSTRACT Incorporation of disposable medical masks (DMMs) can improve the basic mechanical performance and crack resistance of geopolymer composite (GPC). To improve the interfacial bonding, DMMs were chemically modified using four silane coupling agents: KH550 (aminopropyl‐triethoxysilane), KH560 (glycidyletheroxypropyl‐trimethoxysilane), KH570 (3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane), and KH792 (N‐(β‐aminoethyl)‐γ‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane). Macroscopic tests were performed to assess the compressive and flexural strengths of GPC. Additionally, microstructural tests were carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Stereomicroscope, and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) to gain deeper insights into the modification effects. Results showed that all four coupling agents enhanced the hydrophilicity of DMMs and significantly improved the overall performance of the composites. Among them, KH560 demonstrated the most effective modification. The 28‐day compressive and flexural strengths of the GPC incorporating KH560‐treated DMMs reached 49.91 MPa and 6.55 MPa, respectively, which were 8.12% and 30.22% higher than those of the GPC containing untreated DMMs. FTIR and SEM analyses revealed that the enhancement mechanism involved physicochemical interactions between KH560‐treated DMMs and the geopolymer matrix, which led to stronger interfacial bonding and improved mechanical performance.