Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7825251 | Polymer Testing | 2018 | 31 Pages |
Abstract
Surface modification induced by sodium carbonate on coir fibres was studied in view of its application as a reinforcing agent in polyester and epoxy polymer fibre-reinforced composites. Coir fibres were treated with a 10â¯wt% sodium carbonate solution for different periods of time (24, 96 and 168â¯h) at room temperature. The surface treatment was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Tensile, flexural and impact properties of treated and untreated coir fibre-reinforced composites were compared. Coir-reinforced epoxy and polyester composites were manufactured by the uniform dispersion of randomly oriented coir fibres within the polymeric matrix. Tensile and flexural modulus of coir-reinforced polyester composites increased nearly 28% and 25%, respectively after 96â¯h of coir treatment. An analogous increase of 31% and 17% was obtained for coir-reinforced epoxy composites. In addition, coir-polyester composites achieved superior tensile (â¼17%) and flexural (â¼5%) modulus and impact strength (â¼193%) compared with coir-epoxy-derived composites. In contrast, coir-epoxy composites led to superior tensile and flexural strength. The experimental results revealed that sodium carbonate solution effectively removes hemicellulosic compounds, promotes swelling and increases superficial roughness of the fibres, improving the mechanical properties (modulus and strength) of the coir-reinforced composites studied.
Related Topics
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Authors
Júlio Cesar dos Santos, Renato Luiz Siqueira, Luciano Machado Gomes Vieira, Rodrigo Teixeira Santos Freire, Valdir Mano, Túlio Hallak Panzera,