Recent Development in Natural Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Ramakrishna Malkapuram, Vivek Kumar, Yuvraj Singh Negi

Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites · 2008 · 789 citations · 61 references

Concepts

TL;DR

Natural fibers are low‑cost, recyclable, biodegradable materials whose varying cellulosic content and adhesion to matrices make them promising eco‑friendly alternatives to glass and carbon fibers. This review surveys recent advances in natural‑fiber‑reinforced polypropylene composites. The authors discuss chemical and physical surface treatments and novel processing techniques for fibers such as jute, flax, and coir that improve fiber‑matrix adhesion and enhance composite mechanical performance.

Abstract

This review article describes the recent developments of natural fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites. Natural fibers are low-cost, recyclable, and eco-friendly materials. Due to eco-friendly and bio-degradability characteristics of these natural fibers, they are considered as strong candidates to replace the conventional glass and carbon fibers. The chemical, mechanical, and physical properties of natural fibers have distinct properties; depending upon the cellulosic content of the fibers which varies from fiber to fiber. The mechanical properties of composites are influenced mainly by the adhesion between matrix and fibers. Chemical and physical modification methods were incorporated to improve the fiber—matrix adhesion resulting in the enhancement of mechanical properties of the composites. The most important natural fibers are jute, flax, and coir and their novel processing technics to develop natural fiber reinforced composites are also described.

References

61