Natural Fibers and Their Characterization

Abstract

To understand the contribution of bamboo fibers in a composite system, the characteristics of the fiber should be comprehensively evaluated. One of the major issues regarding the use of natural fibers in the polymer composite industry is the incompatibility between the hydrophilic fibers and the hydrophobic polymer resin, which renders weak the interfacial adhesion, leading to ineffectiveness of load transfer from the matrix resin to the reinforcing fibers. One of the most recent and effective technique for improving interfacial adhesion between natural fibers and polymer matrices is alkali treatment, which involves the immersion of fibers in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. Although several studies have shown the potential of using bamboo fibers as reinforcement in natural composites, limited work is conducted to comprehensively study the influence of the NaOH on the structural, physical, and tensile characteristics of bamboo fiber. Such studies are essential to understand these important characteristics of bamboo fibers, leading to their mechanical improvement, producing compositeswith enhanced properties and, eventually, expanding the use of bamboo fibers in the polymer composite industry. This chapter aims at evaluating the effect of alkali treatment on the structural, physical, and tensile characteristics of bamboo fibers, as well as the interfacial and tensile properties of the corresponding bamboo fiber/polyester composites. The morphological changes of the fibers and the impact they have on the interfacial adhesion of the fiber/matrix interface were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the mechanical behavior of the composites. Single fiber tensile test (SFTT) and single fiber fragmentation test (SFFT) were used to study the tensile and interfacial behaviors of the fibers, respectively.