Treatments of natural fiber as reinforcement in polymer composites—a short review

Abstract

The demand for environmental awareness, preserving nature and being beneficial for societal economics has attracted the attention of many researchers and industries to examine the potential usage of natural fibers. There are a lot of beneficial natural fiber sources in a wide range of applications in the composites industry. It is worth mentioning that the performance of natural fiber-reinforced composites can be tailored through a certain natural fiber treatment, and hybridization by employing an appropriate number of synthetic fibers or with other natural fibers. In addition to cost-effectiveness balance, a balance between environmental impacts and desired performance can be achieved by designing the composite based on the product requirements. Yet, certain drawbacks such as incompatibility with the hydrophobic polymer matrix, hydrophilic nature and the tendency to absorb moisture during processing greatly reduce the potential of natural fibers to be used as reinforcements in polymer composites. In this short review, the main results presented in the literature are summarized, focusing on the properties and challenges of natural fibers, the processing behavior of natural fiber treatments, and paying attention to the use of physical and chemical treatments for the improvement of fiber-matrix interaction as reinforcement for polymeric matrices (thermoplastics, thermosets and biodegradables).