| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 818474 | Composites Part B: Engineering | 2012 | 5 Pages |
In this study, the plant and waste fibers (pineapple leaf fiber, banana fiber and recycled disposable chopstick fiber) with an average length from 2.3 to 3.9 mm were chemically modified by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (A1100). Subsequently, these modified fibers (20 wt.%) and epoxy resin were mixed and cured to form novel fiber-reinforced green composites. The results showed that the decomposition temperatures of the chemically modified fiber-reinforced composites were obviously higher than those of untreated fiber-reinforced composites. In addition, the tensile strengths of the reinforced epoxy composites could be increased from 80% to 117% as compared to that of the pristine epoxy. Moreover, the modified pineapple leaf fiber-reinforced composites exhibited better thermal properties than did other reinforced samples. On the other hand, modified recycled disposable chopstick fiber-reinforced composites possessed pronounced mechanical properties.
