Comprehensive review on plant fiber-reinforced polymeric biocomposites
TL;DR: A critical review of the background of natural fiber composites, factors influencing the composite properties, chemical interaction between the fiber and matrices, future potentiality, and marketing perspectives for triggering new research works in the field of biocomposite materials is presented in this paper.
Abstract: The expansion of environment-friendly materials based on natural sources increases dramatically in terms of biodegradable, recyclable, and environmental disputes throughout the world. Plant-based natural fiber, a high potential field of the reinforced polymer composite material, is considered as lightweight and economical products as they possess lower density, significant material characteristics, and extraordinary molding flexibility. The usage of plant fibers on the core structure of composite materials have drawn significant interest by the manufacturers to meet the increasing demand of the consumers for sustainable features with enhanced mechanical performances and functionalities. The plant fiber-based composites have widespread usage in construction, automotive, packaging, sports, biomedical, and defense sectors for their superior characteristics. Therefore, this critical review would demonstrate an overview regarding the background of natural fiber composites, factors influencing the composite properties, chemical interaction between the fiber and matrices, future potentiality, and marketing perspectives for triggering new research works in the field of biocomposite materials.
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01 Sep 2021
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlighted some of the important breakthroughs associated with the NFRPCs in terms of sustainability, eco-friendliness, and economic perspective, and elucidated the significance of using numerical models for NFRMCs.
Abstract: In the contemporary world, natural fibers reinforced polymer composite (NFRPC) materials are of great interest owing to their eco-friendly nature, lightweight, life-cycle superiority, biodegradability, low cost, noble mechanical properties. NFRPCs are widely applied in various engineering applications and this research field is continuously developing. However, the researchers are facing numerous challenges regarding the developments and applications of NFPRCs due to the inherent characteristics of natural fibers (NFs). These challenges include quality of the fiber, thermal stability, water absorption capacity, and incompatibility with the polymer matrices. Ecological and economic concerns are animating new research in the field of NFRPCs. Furthermore, considerable research is carried out to improve the performance of NFRPCs in recent years. This review highlights some of the important breakthroughs associated with the NFRPCs in terms of sustainability, eco-friendliness, and economic perspective. It also includes hybridization of NFs with synthetic fibers which is a highly effective way of improving the mechanical properties of NFRPCs along with some chemical treatment procedures. This review also elucidates the significance of using numerical models for NFRPCs. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are drawn to assist the researchers with future research directions.
121 citations
TL;DR: The use of green composites from natural fiber, particularly with regard to the development and characterization of chitosan, natural-fiber-reinforced CHITOSAN biopolymer, chitOSan blends, and CHITosan nanocomposites, was highlighted in this paper .
Abstract: There has been much effort to provide eco-friendly and biodegradable materials for the next generation of composite products owing to global environmental concerns and increased awareness of renewable green resources. This review article uniquely highlights the use of green composites from natural fiber, particularly with regard to the development and characterization of chitosan, natural-fiber-reinforced chitosan biopolymer, chitosan blends, and chitosan nanocomposites. Natural fiber composites have a number of advantages such as durability, low cost, low weight, high specific strength, non-abrasiveness, equitably good mechanical properties, environmental friendliness, and biodegradability. Findings revealed that chitosan is a natural fiber that falls to the animal fiber category. As it has a biomaterial form, chitosan can be presented as hydrogels, sponges, film, and porous membrane. There are different processing methods in the preparation of chitosan composites such as solution and solvent casting, dipping and spray coating, freeze casting and drying, layer-by-layer preparation, and extrusion. It was also reported that the developed chitosan-based composites possess high thermal stability, as well as good chemical and physical properties. In these regards, chitosan-based “green” composites have wide applicability and potential in the industry of biomedicine, cosmetology, papermaking, wastewater treatment, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.
91 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of coir fiber and associated composites along with their feasible fabrication methods and surface treatments in terms of their morphological, thermal, mechanical, and physical properties is presented.
Abstract: The coconut (Cocos nucifera) fruits are extensively grown in tropical countries. The use of coconut husk-derived coir fiber-reinforced biocomposites is on the rise nowadays due to the constantly increasing demand for sustainable, renewable, biodegradable, and recyclable materials. Generally, the coconut husk and shells are disposed of as waste materials; however, they can be utilized as prominent raw materials for environment-friendly biocomposite production. Coir fibers are strong and stiff, which are prerequisites for coir fiber-reinforced biocomposite materials. However, as a bio-based material, the produced biocomposites have various performance characteristics because of the inhomogeneous coir material characteristics. Coir materials are reinforced with different thermoplastic, thermosetting, and cement-based materials to produce biocomposites. Coir fiber-reinforced composites provide superior mechanical, thermal, and physical properties, which make them outstanding materials as compared to synthetic fiber-reinforced composites. However, the mechanical performances of coconut fiber-reinforced composites could be enhanced by pretreating the surfaces of coir fiber. This review provides an overview of coir fiber and the associated composites along with their feasible fabrication methods and surface treatments in terms of their morphological, thermal, mechanical, and physical properties. Furthermore, this study facilitates the industrial production of coir fiber-reinforced biocomposites through the efficient utilization of coir husk-generated fibers.
56 citations
39 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) on treated coir fiber and fibrous chips reinforced tri-layered biocomposites was investigated.
Abstract: Coir is one of the most important natural fibers having significant potentiality in structural biocomposites production. The long coir fiber (LCF) and short fibrous chips (CFC) were extracted from the husk of coconut. The dimensions of the CFC were within 1.0-12.5 mm and the LCF were within 2.0 mm. All the fibers and fibrous chips were treated with 5% NaOH (alkali) before the biocomposite manufacturing. Different percentages (8%, 10%, and 12%) of melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) were used to produce the tri-layered medium density composite panels with 12 mm thickness. The mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, and internal bonding strengths) of coir reinforced multilayered composites has been studied for all the produced biocomposites. The morphological, micro-structural, and bonding mechanisms were investigated by Scanning electron microscope and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Thermal properties of the biocomposites were studied by thermal conductivity, thermogravimetric analysis, and derivative thermogravimetry characterization. The moisture contents of the final composite panels were also investigated in this study. The main objective of this work is to investigate the influences of MUF on treated coir fiber and fibrous chips reinforced tri-layered biocomposites. Beside, a novel sustainable product is developed through reinforcing the fibrous chip with coir fiber in terms of multilayered biocomposite panels.
37 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, a survey about physical and chemical treatment methods which improve the fiber matrix adhesion, their results and effects on the physical properties of composites is presented, and the influence of such treatments by taking into account fibre content on the creep, quasi-static, cyclic dynamic and impact behaviour of natural fibre reinforced plastics are discussed in detail.
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TL;DR: A comprehensive review of literature on bio-fiber reinforced composites is presented in this paper, where the overall characteristics of reinforcing fibers used in biocomposites, including source, type, structure, composition, as well as mechanical properties, are reviewed.
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TL;DR: The structural aspects and properties of several biofibers and biodegradable polymers, recent developments of different biofiber and biocomposites are discussed in this paper.
Abstract: Recently the critical discussion about the preservation of natural resources and recycling has led to the renewed interest concerning biomaterials with the focus on renewable raw materials. Because of increasing environmental consciousness and demands of legislative authorities, use and removal of traditional composite structures, usually made of glass, carbon or aramid fibers being reinforced with epoxy, unsaturated polyester, or phenolics, are considered critically. Recent advances in natural fiber development, genetic engineering and composite science offer significant opportunities for improved materials from renewable resources with enhanced support for global sustainability. The important feature of composite materials is that they can be designed and tailored to meet different requirements. Since natural fibers are cheap and biodegradable, the biodegradable composites from biofibers and biodegradable polymers will render a contribution in the 21st century due to serious environmental problem. Biodegradable polymers have offered scientists a possible solution to waste-disposal problems associated with traditional petroleum-derived plastics. For scientists the real challenge lies in finding applications which would consume sufficiently large quantities of these materials to lead price reduction, allowing biodegradable polymers to compete economically in the market. Today's much better performance of traditional plastics are the outcome of continued RD however the existing biodegradable polymers came to public only few years back. Prices of biodegradable polymers can be reduced on mass scale production; and such mass scale production will be feasible through constant R&D efforts of scientists to improve the performance of biodegradable plastics. Manufacture of biodegradable composites from such biodegradable plastics will enhance the demand of such materials. The structural aspects and properties of several biofibers and biodegradable polymers, recent developments of different biodegradable polymers and biocomposites are discussed in this review article. Collaborative R&D efforts among material scientists and engineers as well as intensive co-operation and co-ordination among industries, research institutions and government are essential to find various commercial applications of biocomposites even beyond to our imagination.
2,612 citations
TL;DR: A review of natural fiber reinforced composites is presented in this paper with special reference to the type of fibers, matrix polymers, treatment of fibers and fiber-matrix interface.
Abstract: Natural fiber reinforced composites is an emerging area in polymer science. These natural fibers are low cost fibers with low density and high specific properties. These are biodegradable and non-abrasive. The natural fiber composites offer specific properties comparable to those of conventional fiber composites. However, in development of these composites, the incompatibility of the fibers and poor resistance to moisture often reduce the potential of natural fibers and these draw backs become critical issue. This review presents the reported work on natural fiber reinforced composites with special reference to the type of fibers, matrix polymers, treatment of fibers and fiber-matrix interface. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Adv in Polymer Techn 18: 351–363, 1999
2,210 citations
TL;DR: A review of the literature on the various aspects of cellulosic fibres and biocomposites can be found in this paper, where the pros and cons of using these fibres are enumerated in this review.
1,908 citations