The Natural Growth of CaCO[sub.3] Crystals on Hemp Yarns: A Morphology Analysis and the Mechanical Effects on Composites

Plant fibres are promising candidates to replace synthetic fibres in polymer matrix composites. However, there is still an important issue to overcome: the poor quality of adhesion at the fibre/matrix interface. Many surface treatments of plant fibres have been developed, most of them based on non-e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFibers Vol. 11; no. 10
Main Authors Drouhet, Quentin, Barbière, Romain, Touchard, Fabienne, Chocinski-Arnault, Laurence, Mellier, David
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published MDPI AG 01.10.2023
Subjects
Calcium carbonate
Chemical properties
Crystals
Engineering research
Growth
Hemp
Mechanical properties
Physiological aspects
Polymeric composites
France
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Summary:Plant fibres are promising candidates to replace synthetic fibres in polymer matrix composites. However, there is still an important issue to overcome: the poor quality of adhesion at the fibre/matrix interface. Many surface treatments of plant fibres have been developed, most of them based on non-environmentally friendly processes. In this paper, a 100% natural treatment is proposed. Hemp yarns are immersed in tap water until the natural growth of limestone beads attached to their surface occurs. The morphology analysis reveals that these calcium carbonate crystals have a nanoneedle architecture, with hemp fibres acting as nucleators for these highly ordered coral-like structures. Tensile tests on ±45° woven hemp/epoxy composites show that the presence of CaCO[sub.3] beads improves the adhesion quality of the fibre/matrix interface and, therefore, increases Young’s modulus value.
ISSN:2079-6439
2079-6439
DOI:10.3390/fib11100088