Thermogravimetric Stability of Polymer Composites Reinforced with Less Common Lignocellulosic Fibers – an Overview

Environmental, economic, and technical reasons justify research efforts aiming to provide natural materials with possibility of replacing synthetic fiber composites. Commonly known lignocellulosic fibers, such as jute, sisal, flax, hemp, coir, cotton, wood, and bamboo have not only been investigated as reinforcement of polymeric matrices but already applied in automobile components. Less common fibers, such as curaua, henequen, fique, buriti, olive husk, and kapok are recently being studied as potential reinforcement owing to their reasonable mechanical properties. The relatively low thermal stability of these fibers could be a limitation to their composites. The works that have been dedicated to analyze the thermogravimetric stability of polymer composites reinforced with less common lignocellulosic fibers were overviewed.