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Curaua Fibers/Epoxy Laminates with Improved Mechanical Properties: Effects of Fiber Treatment Conditions
Author(s) -
Cardoso Paulo H. M.,
Bastian Fernando L.,
Thiré Rossana M. S. M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.201300225
Subject(s) - composite material , materials science , epoxy , fiber , synthetic fiber , natural fiber , ultimate tensile strength , reinforcement , bending , composite number
Summary The use of lignocellulosic fibers as reinforcement in polymer composites has increased worldwide recently. Vegetal fibers have low cost and they are commonly available in Brazil. The curaua fibers in particular are of great importance for the development of the Amazon region. The mechanical behavior of the composites reinforced with fibers depends on the effectiveness of the transfer of the applied load by the matrix to the fibers, which is determined by the magnitude of the interfacial bonding between fiber/matrix phases. In this paper, curaua fibers were treated with 0.25–2% (w/v) NaOH solution under tensile loading to improve fiber‐matrix adhesion in curaua fibers/epoxy laminates. Composites with 40 vol.% curaua fibers were obtained. Maximum improvement in the composite properties was observed for those containing curaua fibers treated with 0.5% NaOH under tensile loading. Composites with good bending properties were obtained by using a simple, low cost and environmental friendly method for curaua treatment. This method employed low concentration of chemical solutions, which are neutralized during the process, and no need of heating.