A study on mechanical properties of bacterial cellulose/epoxy reinforced by plain woven carbon fiber modified with liquid rubber

This investigation concerns the manufacturing of a new type of composite with the goal of studying the effect of natural fiber on high performance composites. Effect of adding bacterial cellulose (BC) as natural fiber to plain woven carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CF)/epoxy modified with liquid rubber (Carboxyl-Terminated Liquid Butadiene–Acrylonitrile – CTBN) on the mechanical properties and thermal properties has been investigated. New composite was characterized by different techniques, namely tensile, bending, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), fracture toughness (mode I) test and scanning electron microscope. The results reveal that at a BC fiber content of 0.5%, the initiation and propagation interlaminar fracture toughness in mode I improved by 84% and 72% respectively. Addition of 0.5% of BC to composite modified with 10% liquid rubber improved the storage modulus by 28% at 200 °C indicating that the combination of BC and CTBN contribute to improve the heat resistance of the composite.