Study on the physical, mechanical, and thermal behaviour of RHN blend epoxy hybrid composites reinforced by Borassus flabellifer L. fibers

• Published in: Cellulose (London) Vol. 30; no. 8; pp. 5033 - 5049
• Main Authors: Singh, Jitesh Kumar, Rout, Arun Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.05.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Automotive parts; Bioorganic Chemistry; Building materials; Cellulose fibers; Ceramics; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Composite fabrication; Composites; Construction materials; Epoxy resins; Fiber-matrix adhesion; Flexural strength; Glass; Hand lay-up; Household appliances; Hybrid composites; Impact strength; Modulus of elasticity; Modulus of rupture in bending; Nanoparticles; Natural Materials; Organic Chemistry; Original Research; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Rice; Sodium hydroxide; Stability analysis; Sustainable Development; Tensile strength; Thermal stability; Thermodynamic properties; Water absorption; Nanoparticles; Rice husk; Composites; Leaf fiber
• ISSN: 0969-0239; 1572-882X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10570-023-05191-y

The objective of this investigation is to explore the influence of rice husk nano-particles (RHN) in determining the physical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of Borassus leaf fiber (BLF) reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. The leaf of Borassus flabellifer L. was used to extract a novel genus of natural cellulosic fiber and treated with a sodium hydroxide solution to reduce the non-cellulosic contents. RHN obtained from rice husk was blended with epoxy resin to modify them with 0.25, 0.45, and 0.65 wt.%, respectively, using mechanical stirring and sonication processes. The hand lay-up method was used for the fabrication of composites. Among the developed composites, the superior performance was observed with 0.45 wt.% RHN blend composites for tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus (14 MPa, 489 MPa, and 15 GPa, respectively), reduced voids, and reduced water absorption capability (1.707% and 4.62%, respectively). From the obtained results, it could be concluded that as the RHN wt.% increased, the hardness of the composites increased (30.25 to 35.25 HB), while the flexural strength (43.10 to 31.42 MPa) and impact strength (43.32 to 38.02 kJ/m 2 ) gradually decreased. TG and DTG analysis confirm that the improved thermal stability and maximum degradation temperature were 381 °C and 411 °C, respectively, for the 0.45 wt.% RHN blend composites. SEM analysis of the fractured surface of the composites shows that the RHN blend with epoxy improved the fiber-matrix adhesion properties. The fabricated composites are to be used for low-cost building materials, home appliances, automotive parts, and other suitable commercial applications.