Nanocellulose coated woven jute/green epoxy composites: Characterization of mechanical and dynamic mechanical behavior

This paper presents the preparation and characterization of nanocellulose coated woven jute/green epoxy composites. Waste jute fibers were used as precursor to purify and extract nanocellulose by chemical treatments. The prepared suspensions with 3, 5 and 10 wt% of nanocellulose were coated over jute fabric followed by preparation of composites by compression molding technique. The surface morphologies of treated jute fibers, jute cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), nanocellulose coated jute fabrics and fractured surfaces of composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallinity of jute fibers after different chemical treatments was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of nanocellulose coating over jute reinforcement on the tensile, flexural, fracture toughness and dynamic mechanical properties of prepared composites has been investigated. Fracture toughness was measured using single end notched bend (SENB) specimens and dynamic mechanical test was performed in three point bending mode. The results revealed the improvement in tensile modulus, flexural properties and fracture toughness except the decrease in tensile strength of nanocellulose coated woven jute/green epoxy composites as compared to uncoated jute composite. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results also showed the increase in storage modulus and reduction in tangent delta peak height of nanocellulose coated jute composites.