Hot-pressing Technique Research Articles

Effect of CaO additive on the densification of MgO and MgO-YGAG:Ce ceramics

Highly transparent MgO ceramic was prepared by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technique of vacuum-sintered MgO compact using CaO as the sintering additive. Densification process of MgO ceramic is significantly enhanced by doping 0.5 at% CaO at the vacuum-sintering temperature of 1100–1350 °C. By subsequent HIP sintering at 1650 °C, the relative density of 0.5% CaO-doped MgO ceramic vacuum-sintered at 1350 °C increases from 94.67% to 99.97%. It attains high in-line transmittance of 70.78% at 600 nm and 87.59% at 6000 nm, respectively. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity reaches 53.2 W/(m∙K), demonstrating that CaO-doped MgO is a promising candidate material as the secondary phase of phosphor composite ceramics. Herein, 0.5% CaO-doped MgO-YGAG:Ce (Y2.82Gd0.18Al5O12:Ce) composite ceramic with stable binary-phase structure, high relative density of 99.1% and thermal conductivity of 32.6 W/(m∙K) was synthesized by vacuum-sintering at 1350 °C and the luminescence performance under blue laser excitation was evaluated.

Preparation of Mechanically Anisotropic Polysaccharide Composite Films Using Roll-Press Techniques.

Natural polysaccharides are biocompatible and biodegradable; therefore, they can be used as feedstock for biodegradable structural materials and biomaterials. In this study, anisotropic polysaccharide composite films consisting of chondroitin sulfate C (CS) and chitosan (CHI) were fabricated from their polyion complex (PIC) gels by roll-press techniques. The obtained films (CS/CHI films) were thin and transparent, similar to the composite films prepared by hot-press techniques. The roll-press conditions were optimized, and it was observed that the molecular weight of CHI did not significantly affect the formability of the films, whereas the roll temperature and rolling speed were important. The tensile tests of the roll-pressed films revealed that the mechanical strength of the films in the mechanical direction (MD) was approximately 5 times higher than that in the transverse direction (TD), indicating that the roll-press techniques imparted mechanical anisotropy to the films. Additionally, the films shrank in the MD and expanded in the TD after immersion in aqueous solutions, followed by drying. Such anisotropic shrinking and expanding properties indicate that these films can be used as shape-memory materials.

Investigation on dielectric properties of sandwich-structured fluoroelastomer/PVDF films containing graphene

The sandwich-structured FKM/PVDF film with different GNP components fabricated via the hot-pressing technique were studied by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy over a range of frequency (20 Hz-30 MHz) and temperature (25–205 °C). Compared with single-layered PVDF film, the curie transition temperature (Tc) and melting temperature (Tm) of sandwich-structured FKM/PVDF films obviously increase, but their crystallinities decrease. The permittivities of sandwich-structured FKM/PVDF films are higher than single-layered PVDF film throughout whole temperature range, and the dielectric losses of three films have a little change. In addition, the Cole-Cole plots and electric modulus spectra of all films reveal the non-Debye relaxation behavior. σdc of sandwich-structured FKM/PVDF films increase slightly compared to single-layered PVDF film, and σac decreases. Both Eτ and Eσ of sandwich-structured FKM/PVDF films slightly decrease due to the combined effect between the high conductivity of GNP and the barrier effect of layer/layer interface. A higher Ue of 8.1 J/cm3 can be obtained at 350 MV/m for sandwich-structured film with 0.5% GNP. The sandwich-structured FKM/PVDF films with low content GNP have potential application in dielectric material.

Reuse of human hair waste in the manufacture of composites and assessment of composition effects on mechanical properties

Human hair is a common waste material that is found in most parts of the world. Especially, the large amount of human hair accumulation in the waste stream clogs drainage systems causing many environmental problems such as attracting molds and pests, releasing unpleasant odors, slowing drainages, and so on. For waste disposal, human hair can be burned, however, the burning process produces lots of hair dust, foul odors, and toxic gases into the environment affecting human health and life. As one of the solutions to the circular economy, human hair waste has been collected and reused in many fields such as fiber-reinforcing parts in composite materials, adsorbent materials for oil spill cleanup, organic fertilizers for plants, and so on. With focus on producing an efficiency method that offers significant benefits of reusing of waste, the human hair/epoxy composite was fabricated using the hot press technique in this research. Due to the support of the pressing process, the reused human hair waste composition in the composite material was increased compared with the common methods such as hand lay-up and casting techniques. Besides that, the impacts of human hair waste and CaCO3 filler loading on the mechanical properties like tensile strength and flexural strength of the human hair/epoxy composite material were also analyzed for application purposes. As a result, the fabricated composite panel with the ratio of human hair/epoxy at 50/50 added 100 phr of CaCO3 filler introduced the optimal tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus at 15.8 MPa, 2.1 GPa, 52.7 MPa, and 7.5 GPa, respectively. The obtained results show the compatibility of the fabricated human hair/epoxy samples compared with the other research which satisfied the requirements for composite applications.

Physical and electrical property studies on sodium (Na+) – Ion conducting Nano–Composite Polymer Electrolyte membranes

Present work reports that Polymer Electrolyte Membranes: [97PEO: 3NaCOOCH3] dispersed with ceramic filler SiO2 have been synthesized using the hot-press casting technique. Ion transport properties have been evaluated in terms of the essential ionic conductivity (σ) and total ionic (tion) / cationic (t+) transference numbers using different ac/dc techniques to evaluate its usefulness in all-solid-state battery applications. Structural/thermal properties have been characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) techniques. The thermal laminated pouch cell has been fabricated and tested by sandwiching the best optimized NCPE film between MnO2 cathode and Graphite anode. Cyclic Voltammetry study of NCPE film exhibits good electrochemical behaviour and is more suitable for battery fabrication.

Recycled and flexible boron nitride heat spread film with high thermal conductivity

The large-scale production of boron nitride (BN)/polyvinyl butyral (PVB) composite films with excellent thermal conductivity and recyclable properties was achieved through tape-casting and vacuum hot-pressing techniques.

Effects of 3D-printing surface morphologies on interfacial bonding strength between Ti–6Al–4V and CFRTP with PMCs interlayer

In this work, effects of surface characteristics of Ti–6Al–4V sheet manufactured by LPBF on bonding strength and failure jointed with a 3D print carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) including polymer matrix composite (PMCs) shell acting as an interlayer were investigated. Hereby, correlations between printing angle of Ti64 sheet, its surface roughness/morphology and bonding strength were established. Lap shear specimens of the printed Ti64 and CFRTP sheets were prepared by a hot press technique using different pressing conditions. It was noticed that the press force of 0.12 MPa and press temperature of 220 °C were appropriate with regard to resulted appearance and maximum bonding strength of joined samples. From surface analyses, decreased printing angle considerably led to higher surface roughness of printed sheets. Different roughness patterns between upper and lower metal surfaces were observed. The printed roughness characteristics were governed by combined contributions of unmelted particles and layer step geometry. It was found that the bonding strength significantly depended on surface morphologies of printed metal, in which the highest bonding strength of 22.2 MPa was achieved at the printing angle of 45° and its maximum difference among all sample orientations was 54.4%.

Biodegradable dual-layer Polyhydroxyalkanoate (pha)/Polycaprolactone (pcl) mulch film for agriculture: Preparation and characterization

• Biodegradable dual-layer mulch film based on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) • Produce mulch film with higher biodegradability without generating microplastics • Use of radiation crosslinking technique to improve the adherence between PHA and PCL • Soil burial test with high degradability percentage for dual-layer mulch film. This study focused on preparing biodegradable dual-layered mulch film based on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). The main aim of this study is to prepare mulch film with higher biodegradability for rice seed germination. Common plastic mulch films are mostly non-readily biodegradable and stay as residual in soil for a very long duration leading to an increase in salt content and reduction in water and nutrient movement in the soil. This makes the farmland unusable for agricultural purposes. The PHA and PCL were the ideal options as both have their merits and demerits which compensates each other while being cast into double layers and are highly biodegradable. The novelty of this study emphasizes the attachment of PHA and PCL as a dual layer at different ratios that offers a higher bio-degradability percentage. The dual-layer mulch film is made of PHA as the first layer and a mixture of PHA and PCL at different ratios as the second layer. The ratio of PHA/PCL used was 90:10, 70:30, and 50:50. The dual-layered mulch film was prepared using the hot-press technique and later cross-linked by using electron beam irradiation in order to ensure the strong adherence between the two layers. The gel content analysis was performed to measure the crosslinking percentage. The radiation dose of 30 kGy was chosen as the minimum amount of crosslinking and approximately 3.00% was attained for the course. The mixture of PHA/PCL films with different ratios, PHA and PCL virgin film were subjected to a soil burial bio-degradability test. The PHA and PCL virgin film had shown the highest degradation percentage, almost 48.34% just in five weeks. Further characterization was performed on virgin dual-layered PHA/PCL (100%) based on their higher degradability tendency. The apparent properties, morphology, thermal stability, chemical composition, and mechanical properties of dual-layer PHA/PCL (100%) were tested thoroughly. The thickness and transparency attained for dual-layer PHA/PCL (100%) were around 175.25μm and 110.45%. The thermal properties of both single layer PHA and PCL showed good stability, Meanwhile, the virgin dual-layered PHA/PCL mulch film had shown a poor thermal stability. The peak positioning in FTIR for single layer PHA and PCL at 3042.37cm −1 , 2942.37cm −1 , 1719.54cm −1 ,1453.33cm −1 ,1378.95cm −1 and 1181.48cm −1 remained unchanged in virgin double-layered PHA/PCL film as well. The outcome of the analyses clearly indicates the possibilities of the dual-layer PHA/PCL (100%) with greater bio-degradability. The soil burial biodegradability test needs to be prolonged up to its full potential. The other characteristics such as water permeability, photo permeability, crystallinity, and heat preservation need to be investigated as well.

Investigation of microstructures and properties of graphene reinforced 20CrMnTi materials

As a member of low-carbon alloy steels, 20CrMnTi has been widely used to manufacture key-parts, such as gears and shafts, owing to its attractive fatigue resistance and easy of processing. To improve its the mechanical and frictional properties, the preparation of composite is required. In the present study, graphene was added in 20CrMnTi to form Gr/20CrMnTi composites by vacuum high-energy ball milling process and hot-pressing technique. The addition of graphene has a profound influence on the microstructure and properties of 20CrMnTi. A high hardness of 5.83 GPa and a good tensile strength of 1183 MPa were obtained in the 0.5 wt.%-Gr/20CrMnTi, increased by 18.5% and 27.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the wear resistance reaches a maximum value of 2276.5 cm-3 in the 0.7 wt.%-Gr/20CrMnTi, showing a 491.1% increase than that of pure 20CrMnTi. The layered graphene played an important role in absorbing energy and preventing the propagation of micro-crack.

AC conductivity, dielectric and thermal properties of three-phase hybrid composite: PVA/Bi2O3/cotton microfiber composite

The impact of bismuth (III) oxide (Bi2O3) on the characteristics of the cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend was reported for a high weight ratio of the oxide (15wt%). Composite samples were made with 15wt% oxide and 2:1 weight ratio of PVA to cellulose using a hot hydraulic press technique (5 MPa and 175 °C), which led to samples in the form of a disk. The thermal stability of the composite was illustrated using the thermal gravitational analysis (TGS) at a heating rate of 10 °C min−1 in N2 environment. The results show that the thermal stability of the composite sample was greater than that of the blended sample in the high-temperature region. The blend and composite samples exhibited two weight-loss stages throughout the thermal decomposition process. These two stages correspond to the slow decomposition (200 to 400 °C) and fast decomposition stages (400 to 450 °C for blend and from 430 to 460 °C for composite). Only 5% mass loss for both samples was detected due to heating from 50 °C to 200 °C. Dielectric spectroscopy (from 100 Hz to 1 MHz) was used to investigate the effects of Bi2O3 on the relaxation and conduction mechanisms of the composite samples at different temperatures. Dielectric permittivity, AC conductivity, electrical modulus, and complex impedance were investigated. Jonscher’s equation was applied to the blend and composite samples. The modified Jonscher’s equation fit well at low temperatures. As the temperature increases, the deviation from the normal Jonscher equation decreases. The activation energies of the blend and composite were calculated by determining the bulk resistance (RB) from the Nyquist plots. The activation energy of the blend was increased by adding the filler (Bi2O3).

Boron Carbide as High-Energy Radiation Shielding Material for ITER

Boron carbide (B4C) has emerged as a potential material, which can be used for high-energy radiation shielding in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). This is one of the hardest ceramic materials with required properties, such as low density, high hardness, high toughness, high melting point, chemical inertness, outstanding thermal–electrical characteristics, and most importantly having a high cross section for the absorption of neutrons. Recently, ITER-India, Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) initiated prototype activities for the development of hot-pressed B4C blocks/pellets. ITER-India with support from an Indian Industry has demonstrated the manufacturing capability for large-scale, vacuum-hot-pressed blocks with machining feasibility for the final product (shielding block). Development activities have been carried out as per ASTM C750 (Nuclear Grade B4C Powder), ASTM C751 (Nuclear Grade B4C blocks/pellets), and other stringent requirements of ITER. The B4C blocks/pellets have been fabricated in a vacuum at the high-temperature range of 2050 °C–2100 °C and high pressure of ~30 MPa. To qualify this material as per ITER requirements, its chemical composition, mechanical, and physical properties are studied and validated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were conducted to calculate the grain size in the microstructure. As this material is to be used in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) environment in ITER ports and systems, the outgassing rate of B4C is also determined. We ascertained outgassing rate <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\le1\,\,\times \,\,10^{-8}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> Pam <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{3}\text{s}^{-1}\text{m}^{-2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> at 100 °C of B4C as per the ITER vacuum handbook (IVH) as well as ITER-derived requirements for ports. The main reason to achieve this outgassing rate is the process of fabrication used as it does not include any sintering aids and additives; hence, it is a unique hot-pressing technique, which is better suited for nuclear applications. This article describes the details of the study related to B4C blocks/pellets development and toward the qualification as per shielding material requirements for ITER.

Effects of Ho3+ concentration on the fabrication and properties of Ho: Y2O3-MgO nanocomposite for Mid-infrared laser applications

Infrared transparent Ho: Y2O3-MgO nanocomposite ceramics with a volume ratio of 50:50 (RE2O3: MgO) were prepared by combining sol-gel powder synthesis and hot-pressing sintering techniques. In order to obtain Ho: Y2O3-MgO nanocomposite ceramics with fine grain size, dense microstructure and homogeneous phase domains, the effect of sintering temperature and Ho3+ doping concentration were studied. Transmittance and SEM measurement revealed that the grain size of 3 at.% Ho: Y2O3-MgO ceramic sintered at 1250 °C is 141 nm, and the transmission is up to 85.2% at 5 μm. The detailed spectroscopic investigation of x at.% Ho: Y2O3-MgO (x = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15) ceramics was performed. The nanocomposites exhibited photoluminescence properties similar to that of Ho: Y2O3 crystals and ceramics. In addition, the thermal conductivity of 3 at.% Ho: Y2O3-MgO ceramic is 13.04 W/m·K, which is superior to that of Ho:Y2O3 ceramics. The high transmission, excellent thermal conductivity, and outstanding optical characteristics indicated that Ho: Y2O3-MgO ceramics is a promising material for efficient infrared solid-state laser.

Fabrication and characterisation of ZrSi2 ceramics via reactive hot-pressing

ABSTRACT ZrSi2 was fabricated via reactive hot-pressing technique for 45 min at 1250°C and 1350°C, respectively. The hot-pressed sample exhibited Vickers hardness of 10.93 ± 0.32 GPa and indentation fracture toughness of 3.16 ± 0.54 MPa.m1/2. Thermal conductivity (RT-2.99 W (m.K)−1) and diffusivity (RT–18.2 mm2 s−1) of the sample decreased with increasing temperature due to phonon scattering. Oxidation studies were carried out for the hot-pressed samples from 1000°C to 1200°C for 5, 48 and 100 h in air. The oxidation test results showed that ZrSi2 followed selective oxidation with Si diffusing into the oxide layers at high temperatures. At 1200°C, the surface of ZrSi2 oxidised completely to form a high-temperature stable phase, zircon (ZrSiO4). The autoclave test at 250°C and 250 bar shown negligible mass gain (∼0.022 g) which suggests the usage of ZrSi2 for nuclear fuel cladding applications.

Flexural, impact and dynamic mechanical analysis of hybrid composites: Olive tree leaves powder/ pineapple leaf fibre/epoxy matrix

The objective of this work is to determine the suitability of olive tree leaves powder (OTL) as reinforcement along with pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) in the epoxy composites. The parent and hybrid composites were fabricated using the hot press technique with the overall fibre loading at 40 wt% and OTL: PALF in the ratio of 50:50, 30:70 and 70:30, respectively. The fabricated composites were characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), flexural and impact tests. As the proportion of PALF was increased in the hybrid composites, impact strength improved significantly. However, hybrid composites were not effective in withstanding the bending load where their bending strength and flexural modulus were lower than the parent composites. Hybrid composites outperformed parent composites with superior storage modulus, lower loss modulus and lower damping factor as per the DMA results.

Simulation Analysis of Graphene Addition on Polymeric Composite

Natural fibres in composite materials, such as kenaf fibres, are used to reinforce polypropylene (PP) due to their light weight and high mechanical performance required in various applications, such as automotive. Although natural fibres seem to be the most promising material, manufacturing parameters and material composition are crucial to determining balanced output performance. Therefore, this study provides essential knowledge on defining the parameters and the effect of addition of graphene content to kenaf fibres composites using computer simulation via Abaqus CAE software. Detailed analyses were compared with the experimental data of Young’s modulus and tensile strength. General static and dynamic explicit analyses were conducted using Abaqus CAE simulations, and set at 40 wt. % kenaf fibres, 0, 1, 3, and 5 wt. % graphene. Short kenaf fibres were utilised together with graphene nanoplatelets and prepared using a hot-pressing technique with the temperature set at 190 °C and pressure of 5 MPa for 5 min. The findings indicated that the simulation and experimental data from previous studies data congruent which is Young’s modulus and tensile strength increased with addition of graphene content. Thus, the simulated data could predict the experimental mechanical performance, in which 24 MPa of tensile strength was recorded for 3 wt. % of graphene additions.

An Electrical Contacts Study for Tetrahedrite-Based Thermoelectric Generators.

High electrical and thermal contact resistances can ruin a thermoelectric device’s performance, and thus, the use of effective diffusion barriers and optimization of joining methods are crucial to implement them. In this work, the use of carbon as a Cu11Mn1Sb4S13 tetrahedrite diffusion barrier, and the effectiveness of different fixation techniques for the preparation of tetrahedrite/copper electrical contacts were investigated. Contacts were prepared using as jointing materials Ni and Ag conductive paints and resins, and a Zn-5wt% Al solder. Manual, cold- and hot-pressing fixation techniques were explored. The contact resistance was measured using a custom-made system based on the three points pulsed-current method. The legs interfaces (Cu/graphite/tetrahedrite) were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopies, complemented with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. No interfacial phases were formed between the graphite and the tetrahedrite or Cu, pointing to graphite as a good diffusion barrier. Ag water-based paint was the best jointing material, but the use of hot pressing without jointing materials proves to be the most reliable technique, presenting the lowest contact resistance values. Computer simulations using the COMSOL software were performed to complement this study, indicating that high contact resistances strongly reduce the power output of thermoelectric devices.

The microstructure characteristics and self-lubrication mechanism of the NiAl matrix composites prepared by vacuum hot-pressing sintering

NiAl–Ti3AlC2 and NiAl–Mo2TiAlC2 composites were fabricated in-situ using a vacuum hot-pressing sintering technique. The microstructure and high temperature tribological performance of the composites were studied. When compared with NiAl–Ti3AlC2 composite, the NiAl–Mo2TiAlC2 composite contained the Mo2TiAlC2 precipitated phases and some nano-precipitated phases of Mo2TiAlC2 distributed along the grain boundaries. Meanwhile, the high temperature tribological property of NiAl–Mo2TiAlC2 composite was more superior than that of NiAl–Ti3AlC2 composite. The worn surface of NiAl–Mo2TiAlC2 composite formed a dense and continuous lubricating layer of MoO3 when subjected to the friction test at 800 °C, which could effectively improve the overall tribological properties of the composites.

Effect of elevated test temperature on the tensile strength and failure mechanism of hot-pressed dissimilar joints of laser ablation-treated AA5754-H111 and thermoplastic composite

Abstract Evaluation of directly bonded single-lap joint (SLJ) obtained using Al5754 alloy and 20 wt% long glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) is performed via the lap-shear testing at various temperatures. A fiber laser is used to form a multi-groove microstructure on the aluminum (Al) surface. The bonding regions are investigated microscopically before and after the mechanical testing. Dissimilar joint is manufactured under a 100 kN force at 200 °C for 60 min through hot-pressing technique without using any adhesives. Afterward, lap-shear strength of the joints is determined under elevated working temperatures (25, 75 and 125 °C). Damaged surfaces are also scrutinized for studying the failure mechanism of the joints. According to the experimental results, mechanical anchoring between the Al alloy substrate and thermoplastic composite (TPC) is formed at the interface through the applied laser treatment. Strength exhibits a significant decrease with the test temperature increasing from 25 to 125 °C. Fiber/matrix debonding is the dominant failure mode in the composite adherend. The SEM observations also highlight the pulled-out fibers in the PP composite at the elevated temperatures.

Efficient oil/water separation using superhydrophilic polyethersulfone electrospun nanofibrous ultrafiltration membranes

This study reports the preparation and investigations of new ultrafiltration electrospun nanofibrous membranes (ENMs) incorporated with hydrous manganese dioxide (HMO) nanoparticles (NPs) for synthetic oily solution treatment. The mechanical strength and permeation properties of typical polyethersulfone (PES)-based ENMs were enhanced in three highly potential approaches. Firstly, a dimethylformamide (DMF) dope solution was prepared with n-methyl-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as the co-solvent to facilitate inter-fiber junctions. Secondly, HMO NPs were incorporated into the ENM dope solution to enhance water production and anti-fouling resistance against oil molecules. Lastly, the resultant ENMs were subjected to a hot pressing technique (HPT) to strengthen their structure and morphological properties. The results revealed that the ENMs incorporated with HMO NPs exhibited excellent oil rejection (95.42%) and promising water flux recovery (82.47%) upon exposure to a synthetic oily solution (12,000 ppm). The HMO-incorporated PES ENMs also demonstrated a high clean water productivity of over 3380 L/m2h without sacrificing oil removal rate. Furthermore, they exhibited a low degree of flux decline owing to the improved hydrophilicity and thus reducing oil contamination. This study may serve as a basis for manufacturing high-performance and robust nanocomposite ENMs for heavy wastewater treatment.

Water Absorption and Environmental Properties of Thermoplastic Cassava Starch Reinforced with Durian Skin Fiber

In recent, the efforts to reduce environmental pollution by developing biodegradable material has received wide interest. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of durian skin fiber (DSF) on the properties of thermoplastic cassava starch (TPCS) matrix as the biodegradable material. The composites were prepared by using hot press technique to convert the starch into thermoplastic starch polymer. The effects of incorporating different amount of DSF (0-50 wt.%) on the matrix was evaluated using several testings, i.e., water absorptions, water solubility, thickness swelling, moisture content, biodegradation analysis and density measurement. The results show that incorporation of DSF has reduce the water absorption characteristic of the material. Thickness swelling of the sample were increase following the addition of DSF into the TPCS matrix, indicating improve environmentally friendly properties. Water solubility of the composites showed a decreasing trend with increasing DSF content. The morphology of the samples shows adhesion of fiber and matrix which indicates good compatibility between this component. Meanwhile, there is no apparent changes on the density of the composites following the incorporation of fiber. Overall, this finding shows that DSF has potential to improve the functional characteristics of TPCS matrix as alternative green material.