A critical review on mechanical and morphological characteristics of injection molded biodegradable composites

Abstract

Factors like environmental and societal awareness often lead to a significant change of action in the development of eco-friendly materials like the family of green composites. Green composites are becoming increasingly apparent as a sensible and potentially viable alternative to the synthetic composites. A healthy synergism of factors to include weight reduction, cost, performance improvement, biodegradable nature, nontoxic properties, and flexibility are often the key motives that provide the much needed impetus for the development of green composites for the purpose of selection and use in a spectrum of applications. The biodegradable or green composites became a viable substitute for the long-established materials and often a challenge to the family of synthetic polymer-based composites. The present study draws attention to the issues and challenges that come in the way of development and characterization of "green" composites primarily on the use of advanced manufacturing processes like injection molding. In this article, the chemical composition, structure, mechanical properties, and classification of the natural fibers are presented and briefly discussed. The mechanical properties, to include tensile response, flexural behavior, and impact strength, of the injection molded composites are presented and adequately discussed. The effect and role of surface treatments and coupling agents on mechanical properties of the family of polymer composites, to include the nonbiodegradable composites, partially green composites, and fully green composites, are examined and adequately discussed.green composite, injection molding, mechanical properties, natural fibers, processing | INTRODUCTION"Green" composite is a mixture of naturally occurring fiber and a biodegradable polymer (natural resin or synthesized resin). The "green" composites often tend to degrade easily at the end of their lifecycle. Invariably, "green" composites get converted to water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) without appreciably influencing the environment. The synthetic polymer composites have a plethora of applications in the fields spanning automobile

Mapping the progress in natural fiber reinforced composites: Preparation, mechanical properties, and applications

“…NF is considered any fiber that is not synthetic or manmade. [4,34] There are numerous sources for NFs. These sources can come from minerals, plants, and animals (Figure 1).…”

Recent progress in thermal and acoustic properties of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: Preparation, characterization, and data analysis

“…The three main components of natural fiber are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, along with a few auxiliary elements like extractives (i.e., pectin, wax, ash). [162][163][164][165] The cellulose, which is extremely crystalline and contains glucose molecules linked together in linear chains, and the hemicellulose is a polysaccharide, serve as a binding matrix connecting micro cellulose fibrils and make the primary structural element of the fiber cell, respectively. It is generally known that the chemical composition of natural fibers varies greatly as a result of the variety of their sources and types.…”

Development of (polyvinylpyrrolidone/chitsoan/citric acid)/(zinc oxide‐nanoparticles) bionanocomposite films and their applications in biodegradation and antimicrobial activity

“…9 CS is a natural, polycationic linear polysaccharide, which is typically derived from abundantly available chitin through deacetylation process. 10,11 CS is a spread biopolymer and, after cellulose, is the second-most famous natural polysaccharide. CS is characterized by nontoxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility and thus can be easily mixed with other negatively charged synthetic or natural polymers in order to attain functional materials for different biological, pharmaceutical, and biomedical applications.…”

“…Among these natural polymers, CS has showed a well‐known rank is assignable to its unique cationic nature and facile processibility 9 . CS is a natural, polycationic linear polysaccharide, which is typically derived from abundantly available chitin through deacetylation process 10,11 . CS is a spread biopolymer and, after cellulose, is the second‐most famous natural polysaccharide.…”