Influence of Acacia concinna and Vachellia nilotica seed nanopowder on the properties of short Turkish hemp–reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract

The study intends to examine the physical, mechanical, and moisture (water) absorption properties of Acacia concinna seed powder (ACSP) and Vachellia nilotica seed powder (VNSP) individually incorporated with short Turkish hemp (STH) natural fiber–reinforced composites (NFRCs) hybridized with epoxy matrix. ACSP and VNSP of size 30–40 nm were amalgamated with epoxy matrix in varying weight proportions (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt%), and the composite laminates were stacked manually followed by hydraulic compression molding. The fabricated NFRC nano-filled samples were tested for their density and void content, tensile, compression, flexural, and impact strengths along with hardness and water absorption characteristics. The incorporation of 7.5% ACSP and VNSP improved physicomechanical properties viz., 15.27% and 16.64% increase in the tensile strength, 16.39% and 16.41% increase in the flexural strength, 20.15% and 20.19% increase in the impact strength, 11.38% and 11.41% increase in the compressive strength, as well as 15.17% and 15.21% increase in the hardness, compared to non-filler composites. On the basis of the results acquired from various compositions of ACSP and VNSP, STH-based NFRCs were fabricated with the best proportion (7.5 wt%) of both the seed powders, and their physiomechanical properties were determined. The composites were analyzed using an atomic force microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope to determine their suitability for diverse applications. Using scanning electron microscopy, we analyzed the bonding nature at the fiber/matrix interface. On the basis of the results obtained, it was found that the combination of ACSP and VNSP improved the performance of the fabricated STH-based NFRCs. In addition, these composites had a higher moisture resistance, which might have implications for marine and automobile structural applications.

Development of lightweight hybrid polymeric composites reinforced with cellulose microfillers derived from linseed oil cake

“…During the fabrication process, LOCM was consistently added as a filler, with varying weight fractions ranging from 0% to 10%. According to the literature, 16,17 when seed powders exceed 10 wt%, they have a tendency to create voids in the material, resulting in increased brittleness. The weight fractions were incremented by 2.5%, as indicated in Table 1.…”

“…However, surpassing these microcellulose fillers content threshold (7.5 wt% LOCM) leads to a decline in composite strength due to particle-particle interaction, rather than the desired fiber-matrix interaction. 16,17,29,30 This interaction creates microvoids between the matrix and the fiber, contributing to reduced strength. A challenge in fabricating composites lies in hybridizing uniform and randomly oriented microcellulose, as achieving a consistent distribution within the polymer matrix can be difficult.…”

“…12 The combined effect of biofillers, hybridization, chemical treatments, processing condition along with natural fiber reinforcement enhances the final properties to a large extent. 7,[13][14][15] Kanimozhi et al 16 explored the effects of incorporating Acacia concinna seed powder (ACSP) and Vachellia nilotica seed powder (VNSP) into short Turkish hemp (STH) natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs) hybridized with an epoxy matrix. The researchers combined ACSP and VNSP, both of which had a size range of 30-40 nm, with the epoxy matrix in varying weight proportions (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt%).…”

Investigation of the Mechanical Behavior of Acacia—Raffia Natural Fiber Composite

“…Ref. [ 18 ], showed the physical, mechanical, and moisture absorption properties of Acacia concinna seed powder and Vachellia seed powder reinforced with short Turkish hemp and epoxy resin in their study by producing several matrixes of different weight percentages of seed powders. They observed that the weight percentage of 7.5 showed that the physicomechanical qualities had improved.…”

Characterization and Evaluation of the Rheological Behavior of a Natural Surfactant (Acacia concinna)

“…This contributes to the overall wettability of the reservoir rock, affects rock−fluid interactions, and potentially influences the oil recovery mechanism. The presence of cellulose-IV at 20.64°in AC indicates the presence of more ordered crystalline regions 39. 3.7. pH and Conductivity.…”