Polymer composite materials are consistently being used in various industrial and domestic applications due to their lightweight, high-specific strength, and low cost. In order to enhance various performance of polymer composites, a suitable nanofiller can be used. Polymer composites, which take advantage of natural fibers and nanofillers, synergistically, contribute to improved properties and environmental condition by making them suitable for various applications (aerospace, automobile industries, electronics, biomedical, etc.). The present study gives an insight of nanofiller-based polymer composite and the challenges associated with processing methods. The use of nanofillers in polymer composites to enhance their mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, impact, and tribological) and most importantly the self-healing property due to which they are finding numerous applications. This study also includes the problems associated with excessive use of nanomaterial leading to various environmental and health hazards. The problems and their remedies associated with nano-toxicity have also been addressed.
The type of reinforcement used in polymer composite is one of the main governing parameters to ascertain the performance of a polymer composite. Green composites using fiber mat as reinforcement have shown promising results. In the present study, three different types of kenaf fiber mat (ie, bidirectional, unidirectional, and randomly oriented) have been incorporated with polylactic acid (PLA) for fabrication of green composite laminates through compression molding. Static mechanical characterization (tensile, flexural, and impact) of the developed composites has shown that type of fiber mat affects the mechanical performance of laminated composites markedly. Unidirectional fiber reinforced PLA composite has shown the highest tensile strength in comparison to bidirectional fiber reinforced PLA composite (BDFRPC) and randomly oriented fiber reinforced PLA composite (ROFRPC). BDFRPC has shown better flexural properties whereas ROFRPC achieved higher impact strength. Dynamic mechanical analysis of different kenaf/ PLA laminates was performed to investigate the visco-elastic nature with respect to temperature. Results show that ROFRPC has observed the best results under dynamic loading condition. The morphological study of the fractured surfaces during various testing was performed using scanning electron microscope to investigate mechanisms and reasons of failure of composites.
K E Y W O R D Sdynamic mechanical analysis, green composite, kenaf fiber mats, mechanical characterization, polylactic acid
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