A Review on the Effect of Various Chemical Treatments on the Mechanical Properties of Renewable Fiber-Reinforced Composites

Abstract

Increased environmental concerns and global warming have diverted effort all over the world to focus on renewable and sustainable resources for the next generation of composite products due to their recyclability, renewability, cost effectiveness, and satisfactory mechanical performance. Bio/natural fibers which are environment friendly materials employed as reinforcement have led to developing a biocomposite for reduction in greenhouse emission and carbon footprints. However, biofibers are also having some limitations that need to be addressed including poor compatibility between the reinforcing fiber matrices, high moisture absorption, swelling, poor chemical and fire resistance, and high dispersion of mechanical properties. A lot of research has been performed on physical and mechanical properties of natural fiber composite. Properties of such novel composite mainly depend on adhesion between fiber and matrices. Consequently, poor adhesion, high moisture absorption, and swelling lead to formation of crack in both the matrix and fiber. Therefore, numerous techniques have been tried till date to modify both fiber surfaces to enhance their adhesion and reduce their water absorption. This review article provides comprehensive information about effect of various surface modification techniques that include alkaline, silane, acetylation, permanganate, peroxide, benzoylation, acrylonitrile grafting, maleic anhydride grafted, acrylation, and isocyanate. In addition, the effects of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin of biofibers are also reported. This review concluded that chemical treatment of biofibers with 5% NaOH concentration improves the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the resulting composites compared to untreated fiber composites.

Mechanical and Morphological Studies of Sansevieria trifasciata Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composites with the Addition of SiO2 and B4C

“…When compared to synthetic ber composites, poor matrix ber adhesion is the major reason for inferior mechanical properties. Since researchers' primary aim was improving matrix fiber bonding by doing various chemical modification techniques [13,14], various chemical treatments are used to treat natural fibers in order to improve their interfacial contact with the matrix [15,16]. Furthermore, adding ceramic fillers to resin improves the mechanical characteristics of composite materials, resulting in increased efficiency and cost savings [1,[17][18][19][20].…”

Additive manufacturing of jute fiber reinforced polymer composites: A concise review of material forms and methods

“…Along with reduction in functional cross‐sectional area, the inhomogeneities and the applied load aided in the failure of the 3D printed jute composite during the tensile test. [ 82–85 ]…”

“…Along with reduction in functional crosssectional area, the inhomogeneities and the applied load aided in the failure of the 3D printed jute composite during the tensile test. [82][83][84][85] Voids found on the surface defects of the ABS/jute combination produced in the XYZ orientation were caused by the combustion process undergone by jute plant fiber contained inside the composite at high temperatures. For the ZXY produced samples, this method resulted in a novel failure mode in which the specimen ruptured to a particular pixel print, indicating that the load bearing constituents were stronger than the interfacial adherence among imprinted sheets.…”

Effect of Alkaline Concentration Treatments on the Chemical, Physical and Thermal Characteristics of Cellulose from Tapioca Solid Waste

“…This characteristic weakness of natural fibers can be corrected by modifying the fiber surface. Various modification methods have been reported by many researchers, such as alkalization [15], acetylation [16], acrylation [17], and permanganate [18]. However, among these methods, the alkalization method is more popular and widely applied because it is cheaper and has a lower negative impact on the environment than other chemical modification methods [1], [19].…”

“…The alkalization method has also been reported to increase the interfacial adhesion between natural fibers and the composite matrix [17].…”