The effect of nanocellulose and alkali treatment on the thermal and mechanical properties of hybrid barkcloth-banana fiber reinforced polyester bio composites.

The interest in bio-based polymer composites is brought about by the quest for sustainable environmentally friendly materials due to the rapid depletion of petroleum resources and the desire to find solutions to environmental pollution because of synthetic composites. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of various treatments on the performance and potential use of hybrid barkcloth-banana fiber-reinforced polyester resin biocomposites particularly for interior automotive applications. Two categories of biocomposites were prepared: (1) untreated banana fibers and barkcloth, denoted by A1, B1, C1, D1, and (2) 5% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treated banana fibers and barkcloth with nano-cellulose denoted by A, B, C, and D. Banana fibers were soaked in the alkali solution for 12 h, nanocellulose was extracted from the barkcloth using the acid hydrolysis method and applied to the barkcloth fabrics by the pad-dry-cure method with a concentration of 1% nanocellulose. The treated barkcloth had better bonding capacity with the resin and was thermally stable than the untreated barkcloth. In contrast, the alkali treatment of banana fibers led to fiber degradation, making them brittle and consequently reducing their tensile and bending strength. The mechanical properties of both composites showed that sample D1 had the best tensile and flexural strength attributed to the fact that it was based on the untreated banana fibers as opposed to the degraded alkali-treated banana fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]