Effects of Nanoclay on Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Bamboo/Kenaf Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composites.

Siew Sand Chee,Mohammad Jawaid,Othman Y Alothman,Hassan Fouad

doi:10.3390/polym13030395

Siew Sand Chee, Mohammad Jawaid + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030395

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Abstract

Current work aims to study the mechanical and dynamical mechanical properties of non-woven bamboo (B)/woven kenaf (K)/epoxy (E) hybrid composites filled with nanoclay. The nanoclay-filled BK/E hybrid composites were prepared by dispersing 1 wt.% nanoclay (organically-modified montmorillonite (MMT; OMMT), montmorillonite (MMT), and halloysite nanotube (HNT)) with high shear speed homogenizer followed by hand lay-up fabrication technique. The effect of adding nanoclay on the tensile, flexural, and impact properties of the hybrid nanocomposites were studied. Fractography of tensile-fractured sample of hybrid composites was studied by field emission scanning electron microscope. The dynamic mechanical analyzer was used to study the viscoelastic properties of the hybrid nanocomposites. BK/E-OMMT exhibit enhanced mechanical properties compared to the other hybrid nanocomposites, with tensile, flexural, and impact strength values of 55.82 MPa, 105 MPa, and 65.68 J/m, respectively. Statistical analysis and grouping information were performed by one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) and Tukey method, and it corroborates that the mechanical properties of the nanoclay-filled hybrid nanocomposites are statistically significant. The storage modulus of the hybrid nanocomposites was improved by 98.4%, 41.5%, and 21.7% with the addition of OMMT, MMT, and HNT, respectively. Morphology of the tensile fracture BK/E-OMMT composites shows that lesser voids, microcracks and fibers pull out due to strong fiber–matrix adhesion compared to other hybrid composites. Hence, the OMMT-filled BK/E hybrid nanocomposites can be utilized for load-bearing structure applications, such as floor panels and seatbacks, whereby lightweight and high strength are the main requirements.

Highlights

The exploitation of our Earth and the deprivation of our environment has increased at a worrying rate for the past few decades
The main objective of the current study is to study the effects of the addition of nanoclay filler (organically-modified MMT (OMMT), montmorillonite (MMT), halloysite nanotube (HNT)) on the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the hybrid nanocomposites and compare the same to unfilled hybrid composites
The structural and morphology study, by using WAXS and FESEM from our previous works [25], reveals that OMMT nanoclay dispersed more evenly in the epoxy matrix, while high agglomeration is observed in the MMT–epoxy and HNT–epoxy mixtures

Summary

Introduction

The exploitation of our Earth and the deprivation of our environment has increased at a worrying rate for the past few decades. In the composites material industry, replacing the synthetic reinforcing fibers with natural fibers is one of the efforts and approaches used to reduce the impact on our Mother Earth. The natural fibers composites (NFCs) market worldwide has projected to grow by a compounded growth of 10.6% for the forecasted years from 2019 to 2025 [1]. The advantage of using lignocellulosic fibers, such as kenaf, bamboo, jute, hemp, and flax, in composites manufacturing is owing to their low density, low cost, relatively high strength, biodegradability, and their environmentally friendly quality. Recent technology advances in natural fibers composites have shown that synthetic fiber can be replaced by natural fibers in automotive, building, and packaging material applications [2,3,4,5]

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