Abstract
Natural fibers offer a great advantage of being used as a reinforcement in polymer matrix composites because of the many advantages natural fibers offer over conventional reinforcement fillers. Date palm fiber is one of the most available natural fibrous materials in the Middle Eastern region to be exploited as a fiber reinforcement in polymers. In the present work, the fibers extracted from the date palm tree trunk, branches, and leaves were used for the reinforcement of the polypropylene matrix. Electron microscopic images show excellent bonding between the fiber and matrix as no fiber pullout is observed. The thermal (heat deflection temperature) and mechanical properties (Izod impact, tensile and flexural modulus) of the composites increased with an increase in the fiber loading from 20% to 60%, which in turn resulted in excellent mechanical properties in the final product. The work has immense significance in using date palm as an easily available natural resource for a useful product.
Highlights
Fillers are used in polymers for a variety of reasons
Mica, Calcium carbonates are examples of some common inorganic particulate fillers commonly used in polymers, while fibrous materials such as glass fiber, carbon fiber aramid fiber, and natural fibers are commonly used as fibrous reinforcement additives [2,3,4,5]
The degradation of the fibers was verified by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and it was found that the degradation and burning start around 230°C (Figure 4)
Summary
Fillers are used in polymers for a variety of reasons. Fillers reinforce the polymers by imparting additional functionalities to the polymer-like improved modulus, color, and cost reduction [1]. Mica, Calcium carbonates are examples of some common inorganic particulate fillers commonly used in polymers, while fibrous materials such as glass fiber, carbon fiber aramid fiber, and natural fibers are commonly used as fibrous reinforcement additives [2,3,4,5]. Due to many advantages over common fibrous fillers like glass fibers, natural fibers present advantages such as low cost, excellent resistance to solvents, and temperature. They are non-toxic, non-abrasive, and modified by chemicals. Alone it puts tremendous pressure to use or recycle whatever little natural resources are available
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