Preparation and Mechanical Characterizations of Water Hyacinth Fiber Based Thermoset Epoxy Composite

Composites of water hyacinth fiber thermoset epoxy (WHE) composites were developed and characterized. Water hyacinth (WH) fibers were treated in an optimized 6% concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution for an hour before composite fabrication by mixing with an epoxy resin (E) matrix. Fourie...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of natural fibers 2022-11, Vol.19 (16), p.13970-13984
Main Authors: Owen, Macaulay Mfon, Achukwu, Emmanuel Okechukwu, Md Akil, Hazizan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alkali treatment
Aquatic plants
Bonding strength
Composite fabrication
Composite materials
Emission analysis
epoxy
Epoxy resins
Fabrication
Fibers
Field emission microscopy
Floating plants
Fourier transforms
Impact strength
Infrared analysis
Infrared spectroscopy
Interfacial bonding
Mechanical properties
polymer composites
Scanning electron microscopy
Sewage disposal
Sodium hydroxide
Synthetic fibers
Treated water
Water hyacinth fiber
Water hyacinths
水葫芦纤维
环氧树脂
碱处理
聚合物复合材料
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Composites of water hyacinth fiber thermoset epoxy (WHE) composites were developed and characterized. Water hyacinth (WH) fibers were treated in an optimized 6% concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution for an hour before composite fabrication by mixing with an epoxy resin (E) matrix. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) analyses were conducted on both the treated water hyacinth (TWH) and untreated water hyacinth (WH) fibers, and the constituent composites. The mechanical properties (such as tensile, flexural, and impact) of the WHE composites were tested. The results obtained showed that treated water hyacinth epoxy composites (TWHE) provided better mechanical properties with remarkable improvement of up to 13%, 17%, and 7% for tensile, flexural, and impact strength, respectively, in comparison with untreated water hyacinth epoxy composites (WHE). FESEM results revealed strong fiber/matrix interfacial bonding between the treated fibers and epoxy matrix while the untreated WHE composites showed evidence of poor compatibility between the untreated WH fibers and the epoxy matrix, thus decreasing the mechanical properties of the composites. The results have demonstrated that water hyacinth fibers have the potential as an alternative material to replace synthetic fibers in composite applications.
ISSN:1544-0478
1544-046X
DOI:10.1080/15440478.2022.2113850