Study of the interfacial adhesion between alfa fiber and synthetic resin in a new biocomposite material

Abstract

The Interfacial adhesion between fiber and resin has a strong influence on composite mechanical performance and thermal stability. Natural fibers like alfa have attracted a great interest to be used as reinforcement for polymer composites. In this work biocomposites were prepared from natural substances by bleinding alfa plants (Stipa tenacissima) as natural reinforce fibers and modified sunflower oil (Helianthus annuus) as synthetic resin. The application of alfa fibers as reinforcement for composites requires a strong adhesion between the fibre and the resin. In the present work, alfa fibers were added to the synthetic resin after alkaline treatment with 5% NaOH solution. Biocomposites were prepared by using treated and untreated alfa fibers and characterised in terms of tensile properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed a good interfacial adhesion between treated alfa fibers and the resin. On the other hand, a thermal improvement was observed for biocomposites with treated alfa fibers.