Biocomposites are considered as the next-generation materials as these can be made using natural/green ingredients to offer sustainability, eco-efficiency, and green chemistry. Nowadays, biocomposites are being utilized by numerous sectors, which include automobile, biomedical, energy, toys, sports, and so on. In this review article, an effort has been made to provide a comprehensive assessment of the available green composites and their commonly used processing technologies for the sake of materials’ capabilities to meet up with demands of the present and forthcoming future. Various types of natural fibers have been investigated with polymer matrixes for the production of composite materials that are at par with the synthetic fiber composite. This review article also highlights the requirements of the green composites in various applications with a view point of variability of fibers available and their processing techniques. This review is specially done to strengthen the knowledge bank of the young researchers working in this field.
Polylactic acid (PLA) has been attributed as one of the most significant biodegradable polymers that hold great potential to replace petroleum-based polymers in the near future. This has motivated the chemists, surgeons, industrial engineers as well as research scholars to consider PLA and its copolymers for various biomedical applications including scaffolds, sutures in tissue engineering, and drug carrier vessel for delivery. However, the intrinsic limitations of the PLA in terms of surface integrity, cell adhesion, and degradation are restricting the practical implication at par with the required capabilities. Therefore, in the present review article, an attempt has been made to categorize the various posttreatment processes which can benefit the users to eliminate the existing barriers. Along with, the impacts of the various classes of posttreatment technologies, for PLA and its composites, have been summarized on the basis of outcomes. Overall, the review article will provide technical pathways for the betterment of PLA with practical insights.
Global climate change is already affecting the environment, as glaciers are receding, ice on rivers and lakes is melting, plant and animal range`s have altering, and trees are blooming early. Therefore, focus has shifted towards sustainable materials. There is a growing desire for materials that have a unique combination of qualities that metals, polymers, and other materials cannot provide, therefore scientists are turning their focus to green composites. Green composites offer a wide range of uses in automotive, aerospace, and marine applications. Composites are multiphase resources with separate interfaces that contain chemically different materials. Composites are made up of a variety of materials that are distinct in nature, and they give a set of desirable features that are superior to those of their predecessors or parents. Natural fibers are less expensive, more readily available, rust-resistant, plentiful, nontoxic, and safe for human skin, eyes, and respiratory systems. Green composites are created by combining renewable fibers with polymers (matrix) to create a new class of composites known as “green composites.” This review includes studies on various animal-based fibers and their applications. In this article, recent advancements in the field of these fibers and their composites of fibers are also discussed. The physical, chemical, and mechanical properties are also discussed in this paper. Moreover, the benefits and drawbacks of using these fibers are also discussed in detail. Finally, the paper gives an outline of the topic. The results from composites constructed from each fiber are provided, along with appropriate references for more in-depth analysis studies. This review is specially performed to strengthen the knowledge bank of the young researchers working in the field of natural composites.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.