Preparation of graphene based natural fiber (Jute)-synthetic fiber (Glass) composite and evaluation of its multifunctional properties

Abstract

In traditional composite, either natural fiber or synthetic fiber has been used independently as reinforcing fiber. Natural fiber-reinforced composites have poor mechanical and interfacial characteristics because of the random fiber orientation and weak fiber-matrix interface. The addition of natural fiber (jute) to synthetic fiber (glass fiber) composites can significantly improve the characteristics; mechanical qualities are more affected by layer succession. In this study, both jute and glass fiber was employed to prepare graphene-based composite for the improvement of mechanical qualities as well as electrical and thermal conductivity to overcome the disadvantages of natural fiber composite. In comparison to the composite(without rGO), the composite's(prepared with rGO) tensile strength was increased by 146%, flexural strength by 122%, impact energy by 144%, thermal conductivity by 108.33%, and electrical conductivity by 127.21%. As evidenced by good physico-electrical properties, the prepared composite could be used as the structural support where both strength (maximum tensile strength 118.20 MPa), electrical conductivity (maximum gettable current 16.7μA), and thermal conductivity are needed. In this study going beyond the traditional way of composite making, and for multifunctional properties instead of just having specific properties, the composite prepared with both natural(jute) and synthetic fiber (glass) together with rGO could lead to the development of next-generation smart, strong, and environmentally friendly multi fiber composites for high-performance engineering applications.