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In this study, the equivalent heat conduction model and internal curing process optimization model of the composite material based on the cavity and twisting structure of the plant fiber were established. Also, the effects of temperature, the volume fraction of the plant fiber cavity and twist on the temperature field, curing degree, and curing deformation during the internal curing process of the jute fiber winding composite pipe were analyzed. The accuracy of process simulation was verified by the internal curing experiment based on electromagnetic heating and was combined with using the microstructure test and tensile strength test of the NOL ring. However, in the case of twisted fiber, an extreme effect on the mechanical properties of the composite was noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study was to observe the mechanical properties of bamboo plastic composites (BPCs) with bamboo pulp fiber (BPF) or white mud (WM). The essential work of fracture (EWF) methodology was used to characterize the impact toughness of BPCs. The results revealed an increase in flexural, tensile and impact properties, when adding the BPF in the BPCs. While the flexural properties of WM-reinforced BPCs revealed increasing, there was a decrease in tensile and impact strength. In an impact strength analysis study, BPF-filled BPCs showed excellent impact property over WM-filled BPCs; scanning electron microscopy (SEM) helps to explain impact fracture behavior of BPCs. EWF analysis of impact results showed that the specific essential work of fracture (we) increased significantly with the amount of BPF used in BPCs but decreased with the increase of WM in the BPCs. There was similar variation for the non-essential plastic work (βwp) of BPCs. This result indicates that the fracture initiation and fracture propagation of BPCs are different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new and eco-friendly mussel-inspired surface modification pathway for bamboo fiber (BF) is presented in this study. The self-assembly polydopamine (PDA) coating can firmly adhere on BF surface, which also serves as a bridge to graft octadecylamine (ODA) for hydrophobic surface preparation. The as-formed PDA/ODA hybrid layer could supply abundant hydrophobic long-chain alkyls groups and generated a marked increase in BF surface roughness and a marked decrease in surface free energy. These changes provided advantages to improve fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion and wettability. Consequently, high performance was achieved by incorporating the hybrid modified BF into the polybutylene succinate (PBS) matrix. The resultant composite exhibited excellent mechanical properties, particularly tensile strength, which markedly increased by 77.2%. Meanwhile, considerable high water resistance with an absorption rate as low as 5.63% was also achieved. The gratifying macro-performance was primarily attributed to the excellent interfacial adhesion attained by hydrogen bonding and physical intertwining between the PDA/ODA coating on the BF and the PBS matrix, which was further determined by fracture morphology observations and dynamic mechanical analysis. Owing to the superior adhesive capacity of PDA, this mussel-inspired surface modification method may result in wide-ranging applications in polymer composites and be adapted to all natural fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo fiber (BF) composite is a sustainable and environmentally friendly material. However, the traditional preparation process requires multiple modification processes, leading to changes in fiber properties, and often results in strength loss and energy waste. To address these issues, we report a novel tetrahydromethyl-1,3-isobenzofurandione epoxy system (MeTHPA-EP) that can simultaneously modify BF and solidify the matrix, resulting in a more efficient and sustainable composite material. In the BF/MeTHPA-EP forming process, BF acts as an "accelerator," promoting the curing reaction and advancing the exothermic peak of the matrix by 10℃. Meanwhile, MeTHPA acts as a "bridge," reducing the wettability of BF by 35–50% and decreasing the porosity to 1.02%. The combined effect of these two factors significantly strengthens BF as reinforcement, increasing matrix strength by 5.77 times and modulus by 5.82 times, exhibiting apparent ductile bulk failure. Furthermore, we conducted a comparison with the traditional isophorone diamine curing agent, verifying the superiority of the MeTHPA-EP system in reducing voids and enhancing interfacial stability. Our research expands the applicability of bamboo fiber as a reinforcing material, providing a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and effective method for producing high-performance bamboo fiber composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of lignocellulosic foams has been gaining momentum due to their sustainability and biodegradability. However, lignocellulosic foams often have low preparation efficiency and poor mechanical properties, especially compression performance. Here, we constructed mechanically robust and thermal insulating cellulosic foams through high-temperature drying, in which all bamboo-sourced lignin-containing pulp fibers (LPF) and steam explosion fibers (SEF) were chosen as a skeleton and high solid fibrillated cellulose (HSFC) as a binder. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the characteristics of bamboo fibers and the HSFC addition on the formation, and mechanical- and thermal insulation performances of the resulting foams. The HSFC incorporation endowed the foams with excellent mechanical performance, the stress at 10 % strain and compressive modulus were 0.29 MPa and 4.4 MPa, respectively, which were 10-fold and 44-fold compared to LPF foam without HSFC. The LPF/HSFC possessed excellent energy absorption capacity (170 kJ/m3 under 40 % strain) as well as good thermal insulating performance (0.054 W/(m·K)). The LPF/HSFC foam with a much more homogeneous cellular structure outperformed the SEF/HSFC foam. This work suggests that the developed bamboo fiber foams hold promise for use in protective packaging and thermal insulation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]