Environmental issues have motivated researchers to replace synthetic fibres with natural fibres in the
fabrication of polymer composites. However, natural fibres demonstrate weak mechanical or thermal
properties which limit their different applications. Researchers have suggested fabrication of hybrid
composites in order to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of natural fibre-based composites.
Hybrid composites are made up by two or more fibres in one matrix or two polymer blends and with
one natural fibre reinforcement. By hybridising one
natural fibre with another natural fibre/synthetic
fibre in one matrix, the resulting composite is a
unique product (hybrid composites) that displays
better mechanical and thermal properties in
comparison with individual fibre-reinforced
polymer composites. The advantages of developing
hybrid composites are that they are more reliable
for different applications and more environmental
friendly. In this review paper, we present some
recently published works related to mechanical
and thermal properties of natural/natural fibres, and
natural/synthetic fibre-based hybrid composites. Hybrid composites are one of the emerging fields in material science which has attracted attention for
their different engineering applications.
Food contamination leading to the spoilage and growth of undesirable bacteria, which can occur at any stage along the food chain, is a significant problem in the food industry. In the present work, biopolymer polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene succinate/tapioca starch (PBS/TPS) films incorporating Biomaster-silver (BM) and SANAFOR® (SAN) were prepared and tested as food packaging to improve the lifespan of fresh chicken breast fillets when kept in a chiller for seven days. The incorporation of BM and SAN into both films demonstrated antimicrobial activity and could prolong the storability of chicken breast fillets until day 7. However, PBS + SAN 2%, PBS/TPS + SAN 1%, and PBS/TPS + SAN 2% films showed the lowest microbial log growth. In quality assessment, incorporation of BM and SAN into both film types enhanced the quality of the chicken breast fillets. However, PBS + SAN 1% film showed the most notable enhancement of chicken breast fillet quality, as it minimized color variation, slowed pH increment, decreased weight loss, and decelerated the hardening process of the chicken breast fillets. Therefore, we suggest that the PBS + SAN and PBS/TPS + SAN films produced in this work have potential use as antimicrobial packaging in the future.
The aim of this study is to investigate natural cellulosic fibers extracted from Tridax procumbens plants. The obtained fibers were alkali treated for their effective usage as reinforcement in composites. The physical, chemical, crystallinity, thermal, wettability and surface characteristics were analyzed for raw, and alkali treated Tridax procumbens fibers (TPFs). The test results conclude that there was an increase in cellulose content with a reduction in hemicellulose, lignin, and wax upon alkali treatment. This enhanced the thermal stability, tensile strength, crystallinity, and surface roughness characteristics. The contact angle was also lesser for treated TPFs which prove its better wettability with the liquid phase. The Weibull distribution analysis was adopted for the analysis of the fiber diameter and tensile properties. Thus the considerable improvement in the properties of alkali treated TPFs would be worth for developing high-performance polymer composites.
As the annual production of the solid waste generable in the form of spent coffee bean powder (SCBP) is over 6 million tons, its utilization in the generation of green energy, waste water treatment and as a filler in biocomposites is desirable. The objective of this article is to analyze the possibilities to valorize coffee bean powder as a filler in cellulose matrix. Cellulose matrix was dissolved in the relatively safer aqueous solution mixture (8% LiOH and 15% Urea) precooled to -12.5°C. To the cellulose solution (SCBP) was added in 5-25wt% and the composite films were prepared by regeneration method using ethyl alcohol as a coagulant. Some SCBP was treated with aq. 5% NaOH and the composite films were also prepared using alkali treated SCBP as a filler. The films of composites were uniform with brown in color. The cellulose/SCBP films without and with alkali treated SCBP were characterized by FTIR, XRD, optical and polarized optical microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile tests. The maximum tensile strength of the composite films with alkali treated SCBP varied between (106-149MPa) and increased with SCBP content when compared to the composites with untreated SCBP. The thermal stability of the composite was higher at elevated temperatures when alkali treated SCBP was used. Based on the improved tensile properties and photo resistivity, the cellulose/SCBP composite films with alkali treated SCBP may be considered for packaging and wrapping of flowers and vegetables.
Basalt fibre is a promising mineral fibre that has high potential to replace synthetic based glass fibre in today's stringent environmental concern. In this study, friction and wear characteristics of glass and basalt fibres reinforced epoxy composites were studied and comparatively evaluated at two test stages. The first stage was conducted at fixed load, speed and distance under three different conditions; adhesive, abrasive and erosive wear, wherein each composite specimens slide against steel, silicon carbide, and sand mixtures, respectively. The second stage was conducted involving different types of adhesive sliding motions against steel counterpart; unidirectional and reciprocating motion, with the former varied at pressure-velocity (PV) factor; 0.23 MPa·m/s and 0.93 MPa·m/s, while the latter varied at counterpart's configuration; ball-on-flat (B-O-F) and cylinder-on-flat (C-O-F). It was found that friction and wear properties of composites are highly dependent on test conditions. Under 10 km test run, Basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) composite has better wear resistance against erosive sand compared to Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite. In second stage, BFRP composite showed better wear performance than GFRP composite under high PV of unidirectional sliding test and under B-O-F configuration of reciprocating sliding test. BFRP composite also exhibited better friction properties than GFRP composite under C-O-F configuration, although its specific wear rate was lower. In scanning electron microscopy examination, different types of wear mechanisms were revealed in each of the test conducted.
Arundo donax L. is investigated in this study as a suitable reinforcing agent for PLA/PP waste blend 3D printing filament. To improve the compatibility of the fibre and polymer, the Arundo fibre was chemically modified using alkali and silane treatment. Untreated and treated fibres were extruded with Polymer blends before being 3D printed. Effect of chemical treatment on thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of the composites was investigated. The tensile, Izod impact, and water absorption of the 3D printed specimens were also tested. The Alkali treated (ALK) and combination of alkali and silane treatment (SLN) composites displayed good results. Tensile strength and modulus of the materials increased, as well as their maintained stability in the Izod impact test, demonstrating that the incorporation of ArF did not result in a loss in performance. SEM examination supported these findings by confirming the creation of beneficial interfacial contacts between the matrix and fibre components, as demonstrated by the lack of void between the matrix and the fibre surface. Furthermore, the alkali treatment of the ArF resulted in a considerable reduction in water absorption inside the biocomposite, with a 64% reduction seen in ALK composite comparison to the untreated composite (Un). After the 43-day assessment period.
Cotton linters were dissolved in aq. (8% LiOH+15% urea) that was pre-cooled to -12.5°C. Using this solution cellulose gel films were prepared by regeneration method with ethyl alcohol as a coagulant. These wet films were diffused with 10wt% Cassia alata leaf extract that acted as a reducing agent. The leaf extract diffused cellulose wet films were used as the matrix. The wet matrix films were dipped individually in lower concentrated 1-5mM aq.AgNO3 source solutions in the presence of sunlight and allowed the solutions to react with the diffused leaf extract reducing agent which in situ generated the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) inside the films as well as in the source solution. The AgNPs formed in the source solution were observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) while those formed in situ the films were observed by SEM and the particle size distribution was determined. The cellulose/AgNP composite films showed good antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli bacteria. These nanocomposite films were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile tests. At temperatures below 300°C, the thermal stability of the nanocomposite films was lower than that of the matrix due to the catalytic effect of AgNPs. The nanocomposite films also possessed good tensile properties. The ecofriendly cellulose/AgNP composite films with good antibacterial activity and tensile properties can be considered for medical applications like dressing materials.
Incorporation of nanocellulose could improve wear resistance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for an artificial joint application. Yet, the extremely high melt viscosity of the polymer may constrict the mixing, leading to fillers agglomeration and poor mechanical properties. This study optimized the processing condition of UHMWPE/cellulose nanofiber (CNF) bionanocomposite fabrication in triple screw kneading extruder by using response surface methodology (RSM). The effect of the process parameters-temperature (150-190 °C), rotational speed (30-60 rpm), and mixing time (30-45 min)-on mechanical properties of the bionanocomposites was investigated. Homogenous filler distribution, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis, was obtained through the optimal processing condition of 150 °C, 60 rpm, and 45 min. The UHMWPE/CNF bionanocomposites exhibited improved mechanical properties in terms of Young's and flexural modulus by 11% and 19%, respectively, as compared to neat UHMWPE. An insignificant effect was observed when maleic anhydride-grafted-polyethylene (MAPE) was added as compatibilizer. The obtained results proved that homogenous compounding of high melt viscosity UHMWPE with CNF was feasible by optimizing the melt blending processing condition in triple screw kneading extruder, which resulted in improved stiffness, a contributing factor for wear resistance.
The major hurdle in melt-processing of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) nanocomposite lies on the high melt viscosity of the UHMWPE, which may contribute to poor dispersion and distribution of the nanofiller. In this study, UHMWPE/cellulose nanofiber (UHMWPE/CNF) bionanocomposites were prepared by two different blending methods: (i) melt blending at 150 °C in a triple screw kneading extruder, and (ii) non-melt blending by ethanol mixing at room temperature. Results showed that melt-processing of UHMWPE without CNF (MB-UHMWPE/0) exhibited an increment in yield strength and Young's modulus by 15% and 25%, respectively, compared to the Neat-UHMWPE. Tensile strength was however reduced by almost half. Ethanol mixed sample without CNF (EM-UHMWPE/0) on the other hand showed slight decrement in all mechanical properties tested. At 0.5% CNF inclusion, the mechanical properties of melt-blended bionanocomposites (MB-UHMWPE/0.5) were improved as compared to Neat-UHMWPE. It was also found that the yield strength, elongation at break, Young's modulus, toughness and crystallinity of MB-UHMWPE/0.5 were higher by 28%, 61%, 47%, 45% and 11%, respectively, as compared to the ethanol mixing sample (EM-UHMWPE/0.5). Despite the reduction in tensile strength of MB-UHMWPE/0.5, the value i.e., 28.4 ± 1.0 MPa surpassed the minimum requirement of standard specification for fabricated UHMWPE in surgical implant application. Overall, melt-blending processing is more suitable for the preparation of UHMWPE/CNF bionanocomposites as exhibited by their characteristics presented herein. A better mechanical interlocking between UHMWPE and CNF at high temperature mixing with kneading was evident through FE-SEM observation, explains the higher mechanical properties of MB-UHMWPE/0.5 as compared to EM-UHMWPE/0.5.
Since ancient Egypt, orthosis was generally made from wood and then later replaced with metal and leather which are either heavy, bulky, or thick decreasing comfort among the wearers. After the age of revolution, the manufacturing of products using plastics and carbon composites started to spread due to its low cost and form-fitting feature whereas carbon composite were due to its high strength/stiffness to weight ratio. Both plastic and carbon composite has been widely applied into medical devices such as the orthosis and prosthesis. However, carbon composite is also quite expensive, making it the less likely material to be used as an Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) material whereas plastics has low strength. Kenaf composite has a high potential in replacing all the current materials due to its flexibility in controlling the strength to weight ratio properties, cost-effectiveness, abundance of raw materials, and biocompatibility. The aim of this review paper is to discuss on the possibility of using kenaf composite as an alternative material to fabricate orthotics and prosthetics. The discussion will be on the development of orthosis since ancient Egypt until current era, the existing AFO materials, the problems caused by these materials, and the possibility of using a Kenaf fiber composite as a replacement of the current materials. The results show that Kenaf composite has the potential to be used for fabricating an AFO due to its tensile strength which is almost similar to polypropylene's (PP) tensile strength, and the cheap raw material compared to other type of materials.
The granite processing industry generates large amounts of bottom granite dust waste every day. After the drying and heating process of concrete mixture production, the granite dust is blown and collected in the filtering nozzle. This very fine particle granite dry fly dust, with a particle size maximum distribution of 500 μm, can easily be blown away by wind and cause serious environmental impacts. The use of this waste material would be an effective way to reduce such impacts. Therefore, this paper presents an experimental study on the potential of granite dust as a filler in enhancing the mechanical performance of a hybrid basalt/glass (WB/GCSM) composite. The unhole and open hole tensile (UHT and OHT) properties, low velocity impact (LVI) properties, quasi-static indentations (QSI) properties, flexural properties, interlaminar shear stress (ILSS) properties, and morphology of the developed WB/GCSM composites were evaluated. To meet the objective of this study, composite specimens were produced using 1.5-60 μm granite fly dust at three (3) different loadings (1, 3 and 5 wt%). This granite fly dust was incorporated into polyurethane resin using a mechanical stirring technique. The production of FRP laminates then completed using a hand lay-up and vacuum bagging technique. Four types of the WB/GCSM composites systems, i.e., [WB/GCSM], [WB/GCSM/1GD], [WB/GCSM/3GD] and [WB/GCSM/5GD] were fabricated and compared. The analysis results for the mechanical tests revealed that the incorporation of granite dust of up to 3 wt% had increased the UHT, OHT, LVI, QSI, flexural and ILSS properties of all WB/GCSM composites systems. Higher levels of damage tolerance in UHT and OHT tests, and increased ductility index in the LVI test were obtained when granite dust was added up to 5 wt%. However, a remarkable improvement in all mechanical properties was noticed for [WB/GCSM/1GD], which recorded the highest mechanical performance among all WB/GCSM composite systems.
The development and characterization of environmentally friendly bilayer films from sugar palm starch (SPS) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were conducted in this study. The SPS-PLA bilayer films and their individual components were characterized for their physical, mechanical, thermal and water barrier properties. Addition of 50% PLA layer onto 50% SPS layer (SPS50-PLA50) increased the tensile strength of neat SPS film from 7.74 to 13.65MPa but reduced their elongation at break from 46.66 to 15.53%. The incorporation of PLA layer significantly reduced the water vapor permeability as well as the water uptake and solubility of bilayer films which was attributed to the hydrophobic characteristic of the PLA layer. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of SPS50-PLA50 revealed lack of strong interfacial adhesion between the SPS and PLA. Overall, the incorporation of PLA layer onto SPS films enhances the suitability of SPS based films for food packaging.
In this study, sugar palm starch (SPS) films were developed using glycerol (G), sorbitol (S) or their combination (GS) as plasticizers at the ratio of 15, 30 and 45 (wt)% using casting technique. The addition of plasticizers to SPS film-forming solutions helped to overcome the brittle and fragile nature of unplasticized SPS films. Increased plasticizer concentration resulted to an increase in film thickness, moisture content and solubility. On the contrary, density and water absorption of plasticized films decreased with increasing plasticizer concentration. Raising the plasticizer content from 15 to 45 % showed less effect on the moisture content and water absorption of S-plasticized films. Films containing glycerol and glycerol-sorbitol plasticizer (G, and GS) demonstrated higher moisture content, solubility and water absorption capacity compared to S-plasticized films. The results obtained in this study showed that plasticizer type and concentration significantly improves film properties and enhances their suitability for food packaging applications.
In this work, the optimum filler loading to prepare epoxy/organoclay nanocomposites by the in-situ polymerization method was studied. Bi-functionalized montmorillonite at different filler loading (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 wt %) was dispersed in epoxy resin by using a high shear speed homogenizer. The effect on morphology, thermal, dynamic mechanical, and tensile properties of the epoxy/organoclay nanocomposites were studied in this work. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) studies revealed that possible intercalated structures were obtained in epoxy/organoclay nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that epoxy/organoclay nanocomposites exhibit higher thermal stability at the maximum and final decomposition temperature, as well as higher char content, compared to pristine epoxy. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) indicate that storage modulus (E'), loss modulus (E″), cross-link density and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the nanocomposites were improved with organoclay loading up to 1 wt %. Beyond this loading limit, the deterioration of properties was observed. A similar trend was also observed on tensile strength and modulus. We concluded from this study that organoclay loading up to 1 wt % is suitable for further study to fabricate hybrid nanocomposites for various applications.
The current study presents about the effect of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) filler on the thermal and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of epoxy composites as a function of temperature. In this study hand lay-up method was used to fabricate CNF reinforced Epoxy nanocomposites with CNF loading of 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1% into epoxy resin. The obtained thermal and DMA results illustrates that thermal stability, char content, storage modulus (E'), loss modulus (E") and glass transition temperature (Tg) increases for all CNF/epoxy nanocomposites compared to the pure epoxy. Thermal results revealed that 0.75% offers superior resistance or stability towards heat compared to its counterparts. In addition, 0.75% CNF/epoxy nanocomposites confers highest value of storage modulus as compared to 0.5% and 1% filler loading. Hence, it is concluded that 0.75% CNFs loading is the minimal to enhance both thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the epoxy composites and can be utilized for advance material applications where thermal stability along with renewability are prime requirements.
Present study, deals about isolation and characterization of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from the Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp, fabrication by hand lay-up technique and characterization of fabricated epoxy nanocomposites at different filler loadings (0.5%, 0.75%, 1% by wt.). The effect of CNFs loading on mechanical (tensile, impact and flexural), morphological (scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope) and structural (XRD and FTIR) properties of epoxy composites were investigated. FTIR analysis confirms the introduction of CNFs into the epoxy matrix while no considerable change in the crystallinity and diffraction peaks of epoxy composites were observed by the XRD patterns. Additions of CNFs considerably enhance the mechanical properties of epoxy composites but a remarkable improvement is observed for 0.75% CNFs as compared to the rest epoxy nanocomposites. In addition, the electron micrographs revealed the perfect distribution and dispersion of CNFs in the epoxy matrix for the 0.75% CNFs/epoxy nanocomposites, while the existence of voids and agglomerations were observed beyond 0.75% CNFs filler loadings. Overall results analysis clearly revealed that the 0.75% CNFs filler loading is best and effective with respect to rest to enhance the mechanical and structural properties of the epoxy composites.
This work investigates the extraction of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from bamboo fibre as an alternative approach to utilize the waste bamboo fibre. In this study, bamboo fibre was subjected to acid hydrolysis for efficient isolation of CNC from bamboo fibre. The extracted CNC's were morphologically, characterized via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The energy Dispersive X-rays (EDX) provided the elemental composition of the prepared CNC's and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) exhibited their crystallinity. The physiochemical analysis was done via Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR); and their thermal analysis was revealed by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As from their morphological investigations, rod like structures of CNC's were observed under SEM analysis with higher carbon content as demonstrated by EDX, while needle shaped CNC's were observed from TEM and AFM studies. Acid hydrolysis for 45 min resulted into higher degree of crystallinity and higher yield of CNC's about 86.96% and 22% respectively. Owing to higher quality of CNC's obtained as a result of efficient and modified techniques, these can find potential usage in nanocomposites for biomedical and food packaging application.
The present study aims to develop a biodegradable polymer blend that is environmentally friendly and has comparable tensile and thermal properties with synthetic plastics. In this work, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) extracted from bamboo-chips-reinforced poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) blend composites were fabricated by melt-mixing at 180 °C and then hot pressing at 180 °C. PBS and MCC (0.5, 1, 1.5 wt%) were added to improve the brittle nature of PLA. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermogravimetry (DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)), and universal testing machine were used to analyze morphology, crystallinity, physiochemical, thermal, and tensile properties, respectively. The thermal stability of the PLA-PBS blends enhanced on addition of MCC up to 1wt % due to their uniform dispersion in the polymer matrix. Tensile properties declined on addition of PBS and increased with MCC above (0.5 wt%) however except elongation at break increased on addition of PBS then decreased insignificantly on addition of MCC. Thus, PBS and MCC addition in PLA matrix decreases the brittleness, making it a potential contender that could be considered to replace plastics that are used for food packaging.
Bamboo fibers are utilized for the production of various structures, building materials, etc. and is of great significance all over the world especially in southeast Asia. In this study, the extraction of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was performed using bamboo fibers through acid hydrolysis and subsequently different characterizations were carried out using various advanced techniques. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis has indicated the removal of lignin from MCC extracted from bamboo pulp. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed rough surface and minor agglomeration of the MCC. Pure MCC, albeit with small quantities of impurities and residues, was obtained, as revealed by Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates the increase in crystallinity from 62.5% to 82.6%. Furthermore, the isolated MCC has slightly higher crystallinity compared to commercial available MCC (74%). The results of thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrate better thermal stability of isolated MCC compared to its starting material (Bamboo fibers). Thus, the isolated MCC might be used as a reinforcing element for the production of green composites and it can also be utilized as a starting material for the production of crystalline nanocellulose in future.
The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from bamboo fiber on the properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) composites fabricated by melt mixing at 175 °C and then hot pressing at 180 °C. PBS and CNC (0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5 wt.%) were added to improvise the properties of PLA. The morphological, physiochemical and crystallinity properties of nanocomposites were analysed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. The thermal and tensile properties were analysed by thermogravimetic analysis (TGA), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Universal testing machine (UTM). PLA-PBS blend shows homogeneous morphology while the composite shows rod-like CNC particles, which are embedded in the polymer matrix. The uniform distribution of CNC particles in the nanocomposites improves their thermal stability, tensile strength and tensile modulus up to 1 wt.%; however, their elongation at break decreases. Thus, CNC addition in PLA-PBS matrix improves structural and thermal properties of the composite. The composite, thus developed, using CNC (a natural fiber) and PLA-PBS (biodegradable polymers) could be of immense importance as they could allow complete degradation in soil, making it a potential alternative material to existing packaging materials in the market that could be environment friendly.