Investigation of the Effect of Chemical Treatment on the Properties of Colombian Banana and Coir Fibers and Their Adhesion Behavior on Polylactic Acid and Unsaturated Polyester Matrices

Abstract

In this work, the adhesion behavior of chemically treated banana and coir Colombian fibers embedded in polylactic acid (PLA) and unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) matrices was investigated. Both types of fibers were treated with a 5 wt.% sodium hydroxide solution for one hour. The properties of treated and untreated fibers were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and tensile tests. To evaluate the adhesion behavior of the fibers in PLA and UPR matrices, pull-out tests were performed, and the percentage of broken fibers was determined. The results showed that alkaline treatment improved the fibers’ physicochemical, mechanical, and thermal properties. In addition, the alkaline treatment was able to improve the adhesion behavior of coir and banana fibers to PLA and UPR matrices. The banana fibers showed a percentage of broken fibers of 100%, while the coir fibers showed a slight increase in IFSS value. This behavior is attributed to the improvement in surface roughness due to the removal of non-cellulosic composites and impurities.

Improving the Accuracy of the Evaluation Method for the Interfacial Shear Strength of Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Polymers through the Short Beam Shear Test

“…This proves that the fiber volume fraction affects the evaluation results of IFSS, and previous experiments have had difficulty controlling the fiber volume fraction. Falkenreck et al [21], Barrera-Fajardo et al [22], and Liu et al [23] reported the effects of a natural fiber surface treatment on the mechanical properties of composites. These mechanical properties include tensile strength, bending strength, and surface friction, and so on.…”