With growing inclination towards the eco-friendly technology, natural fiber based polymer composite materials have been gaining a lot of momentum nowadays. The present review discusses the much research that has been carried out in the area of the epoxy-based composites reinforced with natural fibers. Influence of the various factors like the fiber content, fiber geometry, fiber size, surface treatment technique, and coupling agent on different properties like mechanical, thermal, behavior towards water absorption and others have been presented. It can be inferred that there is a need and scope for improvement of the surface properties of natural fiber using various methods like physical and chemical treatments, addition of coupling agents, etc. for the manufacturing of the composites having desired properties. These techniques not only modify surface morphology, but also improve other processing parameters like the hydrophilic character of fiber (which is desirable to be low), and hence improve several characteristics such as mechanical properties, thermal stability, water absorption and other considerations of the composites.

Natural fiber-mediated epoxy composites – A review

The natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite is rapidly growing both in terms of their industrial applications and fundamental research. They are renewable, cheap, completely or partially recyclable and biodegradable. These composites are having low density and cost as well as satisfactory mechanical properties make them an attractive due to easy availability and renewability of raw materials. Natural fibers have been proven alternative to synthetic fiber in transportation such as automobiles, railway coaches and aerospace. Other applications include military, building, packaging, consumer products and construction industries for ceiling paneling, partition boards. This paper deals with review of different natural fibers reinforced polymer composite with its manufacturing processes and characterization especially coir and jute fiber.

Review on natural fiber reinforcement polymer composites

Nanotechnology has transformed the world with its diverse applications, ranging from industrial developments to impacting our daily lives. It has multiple applications throughout financial sectors and enables the development of facilitating scientific endeavors with extensive commercial potentials. Nanomaterials, especially the ones which have shown biomedical and other health-related properties, have added new dimensions to the field of nanotechnology. Recently, the use of bioresources in nanotechnology has gained significant attention from the scientific community due to its 100 % eco-friendly features, availability, and low costs. In this context, jute offers a considerable potential. Globally, its plant produces the second most common natural cellulose fibers and a large amount of jute sticks as a byproduct. The main chemical compositions of jute fibers and sticks, which have a trace amount of ash content, are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. This makes jute as an ideal source of pure nanocellulose, nano-lignin, and nanocarbon preparation. It has also been used as a source in the evolution of nanomaterials used in various applications. In addition, hemicellulose and lignin, which are extractable from jute fibers and sticks, could be utilized as a reductant/stabilizer for preparing other nanomaterials. This review highlights the status and prospects of jute in nanotechnology. Different research areas in which jute can be applied, such as in nanocellulose preparation, as scaffolds for other nanomaterials, catalysis, carbon preparation, life sciences, coatings, polymers, energy storage, drug delivery, fertilizer delivery, electrochemistry, reductant, and stabilizer for synthesizing other nanomaterials, petroleum industry, paper industry, polymeric nanocomposites, sensors, coatings, and electronics, have been summarized in detail. We hope that these prospects will serve as a precursor of jute-based nanotechnology research in the future.

Present Status and Future Prospects of Jute in Nanotechnology: A Review.

A review on plant fiber reinforced thermoset polymers for structural and frictional composites

This review paper examines the chemical and mechanical properties of natural fiber reinforced polymer bonded composites and the processing techniques are compared for the reinforced composite materials. The chemical and mechanical properties of the different natural fibers composites were compared. Present days natural fibers are attracting many scholars and researchers due to its cost and largely available in nature also processing of these fibers is not hard in comparison to the conventional fiber’s production. Also, Environmental awareness and a growing concern with the greenhouse effect have triggered the construction, automotive, and packing industries to watch out for ecofriendly materials that can replace conventional synthetic polymeric fiber’s. Natural fibers seem to be a good alternate because they are readily available in fibrous form and can be extracted from herb leaves at very low costs. By these reasons the natural fibers are trusted over the regular fibers.

A Review on Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites

Tensile Behavior of Environment Friendly Jute Epoxy Laminated Composite

Natural fiber reinforced polymer composite has gained paramount importance in the composite research field because of versatility and clivers;ned nature of application field and environmental concern Retted, Vvoolenized,rclted and bleached jute fibers were collected from Banglade~h Jute Research Institute. Retted, relted ami bleached' variety of woven jute mals were collected Irom the Bangladesh Jute Mills COTporation (BJMC). Fibers were cut into 5:!:lmrn length and the woven jute fabrics were cut 10350mmx300mm dimension and dried for 12 hours In an oven allooac. Jute fiber surface waS analyzed under scanning eledron microscope (SEM). Different morphology of the fiber surface was detected. Woolcnization treatment severely removed the fiber binding materials e,g. lignin, hemicellulose etc, and leached out some portion of fibrous body of jutc fiber. Bleaching treatment in tum removed the lignin in between the fibrous bundle of jute fiber. Composite specimens >{ were fabricated at room temperature with standard cold press molding and hand layup utilizing methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) as initiator and ortho phthalic unsaturated polyeMer resin as matrix. Resin over flow was always allowed for best wetting of the fiber. Maximum of Zo-Z5-volume percent of fiber ean be incorporated with this fabricating regime, with current instrumentation facility. ne woven jute fabrics showed constant resin impregnation factor during composite fabrication. Water absorption property of chopped jute and woven jute composite wa:; analyzed by ASTM D 570. Water absorption characteristics varied accon:liug to the fiber trcatmcnt and reinforcement orientation. Density and void content of composites were also carried out. Mechanical characteriz.ations of these fabricated composites were done using Universal Testing Machine. ASTM D3039 test method was followed for ten"le test of composite spe~imen; ASTM D 790 test method wa, lollowed for flexural or three point bend test of composite. At higher (15 20) volume percentage of chopped jute fiber composite showed higher tensIle strength than the refercnee polymer but in case of transverse loading tbese cDmpositc strength just reached the reference value of the polymer. Woven jute fabric reinforced composite showed higher strength behavior in either case of tensilc and transverse loading. Fallurc profile and failure surfaces were observed undcr a scanning electron • nuc[()scope (SEM) to view the post failure characteristics of the compo,ile body. Predominanl mode of failure for individual loadmg condition of these composilcs were analyzed comparing the failure profile. Effect of volume fraction of these composi(e~ on failure mode was also analyzed. Chopped jute composite showed interface and fiber (>Tienlalian dependence in both case of flexural and tensi1c loading with large number of fiber pullout. Woven jute laminates showed interface and fabric node (a 90. eros, point of yams wllhin woven fabric) dependence with fiber pullout for tensile loadmg. When the composites were loaded transversely shearing was a predominant mode of failure along with the interface and fabric node dep~mJcncc with severe fiber bridging anJ pullout. These mechanisms helped the laminates to sustain highcr load than that of the reference polymer at volume pcrcentagc lowcr than that of the chopped jute composite. Comparison of the SEM micrographs to analyze inlerface of the fracturc surface was carried out Differenl types of int~rfaee were observed, which are Hupposed to have direct relationship with the fiber lreatment procedure and mechanical properties of the jute fiber rcinforced composite. Maximum polymel'ic residue was observed on the woolenized fiber and minimum was seen on the reUedjute, in both case of chopped jule and woven jute remforeed composile. meached j ule e"ntained moderate amount of polymeric residue in either case of chopped jute and woven jute reinforced composile. AnalySIs of density, void percentage and strength of composile specimen were also carried out. Higher density and lower voiJ percentage was observed along with higher strength for chopped jule composite, Woven jutc fabric laminates showed no density and void conlcnt depcndence on lhe strength of compo;ite; anJ its strcngth is primarily governed witb the strcngtb of tbe yam. Composile powders were analY7-ed by Fourier Transformalion Infra Rcd (FTIR) spcctrometry to evaluate fiber-matrix interfacial bonding nature or compatibility of the fiber and the matrix. The spcctral data of composites were compared wilh lhe reference FTIR spectra of jute and cured polymer and it was found that the carbonyl (CO) environment of jute and the carboxyl (COO-) environment of cured polyester had been changed in the composite. But these te~ts do not infer about good fiber matrix chemical mteraction and mechanical compatibility. Spectral data was compared with tcnsile and flcxural

Development of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite

Quantitative Analysis of Hollow Lumen in Jute

Duck feathers are keratin-based natural fibres. After steaming, drying and milling, duck feather waste (DFW) was transformed into powder and incorporated in unsaturated polyester resin as reinforcing filler to fabricate composite panels. Particle sizes of the DFW powder were in the range of approximately 0.1–0.6 µm, with an average size of 0.21 ± 0.1 µm. Upon successful fabrication of duck feather waste (DFW) composites, different physical, thermal and mechanical investigations were carried out to evaluate their properties along with microscopic observations on fractured surfaces to unravel fracture mechanics. DFW powder was homogeneously distributed throughout the composite and showed hardness of approximately 46 HRC. Average flexural strength and tensile strength were about 24.51 ± 1.8 MPa and 9.27 ± 1.4 MPa respectively. Thermal analysis showed that the composite was stable up to about 250 °C, followed by slow degradation. The presently investigated DFW composite shows lower flexural strength, fatigue life and hardness than that of other natural fibre reinforced composites, as reported in the literature.

Md. Rashnal Hossain

Papers

Tensile Behavior of Environment Friendly Jute Epoxy Laminated Composite

Development of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite

Quantitative Analysis of Hollow Lumen in Jute

Use of duck feather waste as a reinforcement medium in polymer composites

Study on jute epoxy composite properties made by vacuum assisted resin infiltration (VARI) technique