Effect of Physical Modification on the Tensile and Thermal Properties of Plantain Fibre Polymer Composite

Abstract

Abstract In the electromagnetic spectrum, microwaves are electromagnetic waves with a frequency between radio and infrared. Certain materials are suited for microwave processing because they can transform microwaves into heat. Microwave energy is absorbed by the material and transformed into heat, in contrast to conventional heating where the heat is concentrated over the material’s surface rather than the core. The incorporation of fiber materials into polymer composites has shown enormous potential and has recently raised significant concerns due to the improved performance of these materials in manufacturing and critical applications. There are many different industrial uses for polymer composites packed with natural fiber (NF), and they are thermally stable at high temperatures. Ecologically suitable agricultural wastes NF as reinforcement have opened a new route into polymer composite research. According to research, physical modification methods have been found to reduce the inherent hydrophobicity of NF’s surface and can also improve the performance of a natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite (NFRPC). In this study, high-frequency microwave radiation (HFMW) applicability and suitability for modulating NF sourced from plantain (Musa paradisiaca) fiber (PF) and its impact on the thermal properties and tensile strength of the fibers reinforced polymer composite fibers was reported. PF was collected after harvesting the fruit bunch. NF was extracted from the pseudo-stem employing water retting over 28 days. Physical modification of extracted PF was employed using HFMW radiation at power different radiation watt power of 550 and 750 for a duration of 2 and 4 mins. The PF-reinforced polymer composite was fabricated by using extracted and microwave-modified PF. The composite was prepared by manually laying up and compression molding the microwave-modified and unmodified PF into an epoxy resin matrix. The effect of microwave radiation at different power and time on the PF modification with respect to the thermal properties of the fibers and tensile strength of the reinforced polymer composite were evaluated. The results obtained show that microwave irradiation at a frequency of 2.45 GHZ, 550W power, and treatment time of 4 minutes has successfully enhanced the properties of the PF-reinforced epoxy resin composite as increases in the thermal properties and tensile strength were achieved at optimized parameters. This study has demonstrated, that utilization of HFMW radiation is an effective physical treatment of plantain fibers at optimized microwave power and timing, thus, creating prospects and reliability of the fiber-reinforced bio-composite to be used in advanced materials, engineering, and structural applications.