Effect of zinc oxide surface treatment concentration and nanofiller loading on the flexural properties of unsaturated polyester/kenaf nanocomposites
Mohammed Mohammed,
Jawad K. Oleiwi,
Anwar Ja'afar Mohamad Jawad,
Aeshah M. Mohammed,
Azlin F. Osman,
Rozyanty Rahman,
Tijjani Adam,
Bashir O. Betar,
Subash C.B. Gopinath,
Omar S. Dahham
Affiliations
Mohammed Mohammed
Center of Excellence Geopolymer & Green Technology (CEGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia; Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia; Corresponding author. Center of Excellence Geopolymer & Green Technology (CEGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia.
Jawad K. Oleiwi
Department of Materials Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq
Anwar Ja'afar Mohamad Jawad
Department of Computer Techniques Engineering, Al-Rafidain University College، Baghdad 10001, Iraq
Aeshah M. Mohammed
University of Bagdad College of Education for Pure Science Ibn-Alhaitham, Iraq
Azlin F. Osman
Center of Excellence Geopolymer & Green Technology (CEGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia; Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia; Corresponding author. Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia.
Rozyanty Rahman
Center of Excellence Geopolymer & Green Technology (CEGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia; Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia
Tijjani Adam
Faculty of Electronics Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kampus Uniciti Alam Sg. Chuchuh, 02100 Padang Besar (U), Perlis, Malaysia
Bashir O. Betar
Research Center (NANOCAT), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Subash C.B. Gopinath
Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia; Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia
Omar S. Dahham
Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Iraq; Department of Petroleum and Gas Refinery Engineering, Al-Farabi University College, Baghdad, Iraq
Due to environmental concerns and budgetary constraints associated with synthetic fibers, natural fibers (NFr) are becoming increasingly popular as reinforcement in polymer composites (PCs) for structural components and construction materials. The surface treatment (ST) method is a well-established technique for enhancing the strength of interfacial bonding between NFr and the polymer matrix (PM). As a result, this research aims to determine the effect of ST with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on the flexural properties of unsaturated polyester (UPE)/kenaf fiber (KF) nanocomposites. The hand lay-up technique was employed to produce KF-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites (KF/UPE) for this investigation. UPE/KF-ZnONPs composites were made with varying NFr loadings (weight percent), ranging from 10 to 40%. KF was treated with five distinct amounts of ZnONPs (from 1 to 5% weight percent). According to the findings of the investigation, the composite samples incorporating ZnONPs displayed superior optimum flexural properties compared to the untreated KF composite. It was found that 2% ZnONPs was optimal, and ST with ZnONPs could produce robust KF with improved flexural properties.
