Interfacial Studies of Natural Fiber-Reinforced Particulate Thermoplastic Composites and Their Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Growing environmental concerns have made more people aware of waste utilization and management. Agro-waste is becoming to be one of the main contributors to the environmental issue. From a circular economy perspective, the agro-waste, such as natural fibers (NFs) as well as natural particulates (NPs) found in various parts of the crop, can be utilized for the development of new materials. In particular, the main problem of utilizing these wastes for blending into the polymer matrix is their hydrophilicity. which results in “low mechanical properties of the” composite. To enable the NFs and NPs to be adhered to the matrix, they have to be treated, whether chemically or physically. Treatments that focus on increasing the hydrophobicity can result in significant enhancement in the adhesion of the NF and NP with the matrix. the focus of the current work is primarily on the modulation of the mechanical properties of the polymer-based composite material arising from treatment to the surfaces of the NF and NP. This review covers the physical properties of several important NFs and NPs, the different types of chemical treatments available; the processing of the NF and NP reinforced thermoplastic composites, and the mechanical properties of the composite materials.

Keywords

• polymer matrix
• composites
• natural fibers and particulates
• chemical treatment
• mechanical properties