Search results for "Biocomposite"
showing 10 items of 74 documents
A new eco-friendly chemical treatment of natural fibres: Effect of sodium bicarbonate on properties of sisal fibre and its epoxy composites
2016
Abstract Several researchers have shown how sisal fibres possess remarkable tensile properties that yield them good candidates as reinforcement in biocomposite materials. This work aims to evaluate the effect of an eco-friendly and cost effective surface treatment method based on the use of commercial sodium bicarbonate (i.e. baking soda) on properties of sisal fibre and its epoxy composites. In particular, raw sisal fibres were treated with a 10%w/w of sodium bicarbonate solution for different periods (24, 120 and 240 h), at room temperature. Changes occurring in sisal fibres were characterized through scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric…
Enhancement of Static and Fatigue Strength of Short Sisal Fiber Biocomposites by Low Fraction Nanotubes
2021
AbstractThanks to good mechanical performances, high availability, low cost and low weight, the agave sisalana fiber allows to obtain biocomposites characterised by high specific properties, potentially very attractive for the replacement of synthetic materials in various industrial fields. Unfortunately, due to the low strength versus transversal damage processes mainly related to the matrix brittleness and/or to the low fiber/matrix adhesion, the tensile performance of random short fiber biocomposites are quite low, and to date most of the fiber treatments proposed in literature to improve the fiber-matrix adhesion, have not led to very satisfactory results. In order to overcome such a dr…
Biodegradation in soil effects on PLA/sisal and PHBV/sisal biocomposites
2013
The use of bio-based composites like lignocellulosic fibres/polymer composites as an alternative materials are continuously increasing in several applications such as automobile manufacturing, packaging, construction or household and agricultural equipments. In order to warranty the durability on green biocomposites based on polymer matrixes like poly(hydroxy butyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV) and poly(lactide) (PLA), the previous knowledge about the influence of the ambient agents on their macromolecular properties is necessary. In this sense, biodegradation in soil normalised experiments are useful. In this work, two commercial PHBV and PLA were reinforced with sisal fibres at 10 %, 20% and 30%…
Hydrothermal Ageing Effect on Reinforcement Efficiency of Nanofibrillated Cellulose/Biobased Poly(butylene succinate) Composites
2022
Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) is a sustainable functional nanomaterial known for its high strength, stiffness, and biocompatibility. It has become a key building block for the next-generation of lightweight, advanced materials for applications such as consumer products, biomedical, energy storage, coatings, construction, and automotive. Tunable and predictable durability under environmental impact is required for high performance applications. Bio-based poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) composites containing up to 50% NFC content were designed and aged in distilled water or at high relative humidity (RH98%). PBS/NFC composites are characterized by up to 10-fold increased water absorption ca…
Basalt Fiber Hybridization Effects on High-Performance Sisal-Reinforced Biocomposites
2022
The increasing attention given to environmental protection, largely through specific regulations on environmental impact and the recycling of materials, has led to a considerable interest of researchers in biocomposites, materials consisting of bio-based or green polymer matrixes reinforced by natural fibers. Among the various reinforcing natural fibers, sisal fibers are particularly promising for their good mechanical properties, low specific weight and wide availability on the current market. As proven in literature by various authors, the hybridization of biocomposites by synthetical fibers or different natural fibers can lead to an interesting improvement of the mechanical properties or…
New Polylactic Acid Composites Reinforced with Artichoke Fibers
2015
In this work, artichoke fibers were used for the first time to prepare poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based biocomposites. In particular, two PLA/artichoke composites with the same fiber loading (10% w/w) were prepared by the film-stacking method: the first one (UNID) reinforced with unidirectional long artichoke fibers, the second one (RANDOM) reinforced by randomly-oriented long artichoke fibers. Both composites were mechanically characterized in tensile mode by quasi-static and dynamic mechanical tests. The morphology of the fracture surfaces was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, a theoretical model, i.e., Hill's method, was used to fit the experimental Young's modu…
Performance evaluation of a bio-based composite building material made of natural resin mixed with hay
2016
Recent years have seen an increasing public interest in issues related to energy saving and environmental pollution reduction in the building sector. As a result, many directives have been issued, the most important being the Directive 2010/31/EU (EPBD Recast) on the energy performance of buildings, which requires that “Member States shall ensure that by 31 December 2020 all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings”. This goal can be obtained not only by reducing energy demand for heating and cooling, but also, for example, by improving building envelope performances. In this work, a first analysis of the thermal and structural behaviour of a biocomposite material, constituted by a na…
MECHANICAL, RHEOLOGICAL AND THERMAL EVALUATION OF POLY(LACTIC ACID) (PLA)/MICRO FIBRILLATED CELLULOSE (MFC) PLASTICIZED BIOCOMPOSITES PRODUCED WITH F…
2022
The use of Micro Fibrillated Cellulose (MFC) as filler for polymeric matrices attempts an increasing interest both in academia and industry. In this framework, encouraging results have been obtained using plasticizers, as dispersing aids, during twin-screw extrusion that optimizes the process parameters and avoid MFC agglomeration. In this work, two commercial typologies of waterborne solution of MFC (Exilva and Celish) were melt-compounded in a PLA matrix through semi-industrial twin-screw extruder and calendered, producing films of 150 μm thickness. These films were mechanically and thermally characterized, moreover the migration of the plasticizer along the time was evaluated through ana…
Green Composites Based on Hedysarum coronarium with Outstanding FDM Printability and Mechanical Performance
2022
The addition of natural scraps to biodegradable polymers has gained particular interest in recent years, allowing reducing environmental pollution related to traditional plastic. In this work, new composites were fabricated by adding 10% or 20% of Hedysarum coronarium (HC) flour to Poly (lactic acid) (PLA). The two formulations were first produced by twin screw extrusion and the obtained filaments were then employed for the fabrication of composites, either for compression molding (CM) or by fused deposition modeling (FDM), and characterized from a morphological and mechanical point of view. Through FDM it was possible to achieve dense structures with good wettability of the filler that, on…
Strength of cellulosic fiber/starch acetate composites with variable fiber and plasticizer content
2014
In this experimental study, the performance of injection-molded short flax and hemp fibers in plasticized starch acetate were analyzed in terms of strength. Parameters involved in the analysis are a variable fiber and plasticizer content. The measured strength of the composites varies in the range of 12–51 MPa for flax fibers and 11–42 MPa for hemp fibers, which is significantly higher than the properties of the unreinforced starch acetate matrix. The micro-structural parameters used in modeling of composite strength were obtained from optical observations and indirect measurements. Some of these parameters were qualitatively verified by X-ray microtomography.