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The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application because of its polyporous structure and light texture. To enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, the current study investigates their water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristics and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain and tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards while their structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fractured surface of fiber bundles. The test results show that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness, ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had substantial impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the density of fiber bundles of LS ranged within 385.46–468.70 kg/m3, significantly less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m3) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m3). However, LS fiber bundles demonstrated superior specific modulus than Arenga engleri.

The thermal performance of wood–plastic composites (WPCs) with different fiber, different fiber contents, and different lubricants were investigated in this paper. The results show that the thermal degradation temperature, melting temperature, crystallization temperature, crystallinity, and viscosity of WPCs with wood fiber were slightly higher than those of WPCs with floor sanding powder and rice husk. As the wood fiber content increased, the melting temperature and crystallinity of WPCs decreased while the crystallization temperature, viscosity, and pseudoplasticity increased. When the wood fiber content was increased to 60%, the dimensional stability of WPCs tended to be constant, and a higher wood fiber content was not conducive for processing of WPCs. WPCs had a small coefficient of linear thermal expansion at low temperature and demonstrated a good dimensional stability. The presence of lubricant reduced the viscosity and increased the pseudoplasticity of the WPCs, which is advantageous for the dimensional stability of WPCs at low temperature while making it worse for high temperatures.

To illustrate the effects of nano-bamboo charcoal (NBC) on the properties of bamboo plastic composites (BPC), nano-bamboo charcoalbamboo plastic composites (NBC-BPC) were prepared at 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% (w/v) NBC and characterized. The effects of NBC on the water absorption, fractured surfaces, mechanical properties, and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. NBC had strong interfacial interaction in the BPC, which greatly improved the interfacial adhesion of bamboo flour (BF) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The water resistance, flexural strengths, and tensile strengths of the composites were enhanced compared with traditional BPC when the volume of NBC reached a specific loading. These results demonstrated that the incorporation of NBC slightly improved the thermal properties of the synthesized composites.

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