Physical, Mechanical, and Morphological Properties of Hybrid Cyrtostachys renda/Kenaf Fiber Reinforced with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT)-Phenolic Composites

Abstract

Adequate awareness of sustainable materials and eco-legislation have inspired researchers to identify alternative sustainable and green composites for synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites in the automotive and aircraft industries. This research focused on investigating the physical, mechanical, and morphological properties of different hybrid Cyrtostachys renda (CR)/kenaf fiber (K) (10C:0K, 7C:3K, 5C:5K, 3C:7K, 0C:10K) reinforced with 0.5 wt% MWCNT–phenolic composites. We incorporated 0.5 wt% of MWCNT into phenolic resin (powder) using a ball milling process for 25 h to achieve homogeneous distribution. The results revealed that CR fiber composites showed higher voids content (12.23%) than pure kenaf fiber composites (6.57%). CR fiber phenolic composite was more stable to the swelling tendency, resulting in the lowest percentage of swelling rate (4.11%) compared to kenaf composite (5.29%). The addition of kenaf fiber into CR composites had improved the tensile, flexural, and impact properties. The highest tensile and flexural properties were found for weight fraction of CR and kenaf fiber at 5C:5K (47.96 MPa) and 3C:7K (90.89 MPa) composites, respectively. In contrast, the highest impact properties were obtained for 0C:10K composites (9.56 kJ/m2). Based on the FE-SEM image, the CR fiber lumen was larger in comparison to kenaf fiber. The lumen of CR fiber was attributed to higher void and water absorption, lower mechanical properties compared to kenaf fiber. 5C:5K composite was selected as an optimal hybrid composite, based on the TOPSIS method. This hybrid composite can be used as an interior component (non-load-bearing structures) in the aviation and automotive sectors.

Enhanced Thermal Stability, Mechanical Properties and Structural Integrity of MWCNT Filled Bamboo/Kenaf Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites

“…Maximum tensile strength was observed in laminate 6 (Kenaf + Bamboo + MWCNT + Epoxy) with a value of 67.349 N/mm 2 whereas lowest tensile strength was observed in laminate 1 (Bamboo + Epoxy) with a value of 45.85 N/mm 2 . Similar high-tensile strength value of Kenaf + Bamboo fibre + MWCNT reinforced Epoxy composites were also reported in other studies [12,13,32]. In a study by Alavudeen et al, it was reported that Kenaf fibres are stronger and stiffer in the longitudinal direction which could lead to the greater stress uptake and higher mechanical strength of the composites [33].…”

“…Besides, the hybrid composites displayed highest damping factor and sound absorption coefficient; all of which are properties highly desirable for non-load bearing structures where noise control and sound absorption are prime requirements. In another study by Loganathan et al, Cyrtostachys renda (CR)-Kenaf fibre-based, hybrid polymer composites were fabricated [13]. The tensile strength of CR and Kenaf composites were 35.2 MPa and 36.7 MPa respectively; and with hybridization of CR and Kenaf the tensile strength was enhanced to 47.8 MPa.…”

The Role of Roller Rotation Pattern in the Spreading Process of Polymer/Short-Fiber Composite Powder in Selective Laser Sintering

“…where M b (g) and S (mm 2 ) are the mass and area of the spread powder bed, respectively; ρ 1 (g/cm 3 ) and ρ 2 (g/cm 3 ) are the densities of PA12 and CF, respectively.…”

“…Selective laser sintering (SLS), one of the popular processes for manufacturing polymer materials in additive manufacturing technology, has continued to receive wide attention from the community in recent years [1,2]. In the polymer additive manufacturing process, polymer/fiber composite powder materials have attracted a lot of interest from scholars because fibers can significantly enhance the mechanical properties of the matrix material [3,4].…”

Polypropylene‐based nanocomposite with improved mechanical properties: Effect of cellulose nanofiber and polyrotaxane with partial miscibility

“…While the mechanical properties of polymer composites are macroscopic, miscibility of microscopic components [1] and particle dispersion [2] can lead to cooperative or superhierarchical effects. [3,4] In recent years, polymer-inorganic hybrid materials have attracted considerable attention for new applications in aeronautics, [5,6] medicine, [7,8] architecture, [9] and biology [10] owing to their high electrical [11,12] and thermal conductivities. [13] Existing materials can be modified [14][15][16] by preparing nanocomposites, wherein nanodimensional phases are dispersed in a bulk matrix.…”