Advancement in hemp fibre polymer composites: a comprehensive review

Abstract

Abstract Natural fibres as reinforcement for composite materials have witnessed a resurgence of interest in the past few years, largely due to ecological concerns, legislative directives and technological advancements. Hemp is one of the most popular natural fibres used as reinforcement in polymers owing to its superior mechanical properties. At present, hemp fibres have attracted the global interest of design engineers for developing composites having extensive applications in automobiles, electrical, construction and packaging industries. Although several literatures explore different aspects of hemp fibre reinforced composites, there is no proper literature that summarizes the surface treatment, processing techniques, mechanical performance and hybridization of hemp fibre composites. This review is envisioned to put forth a comprehensive summary of the research work published in the field of hemp fibre reinforced composites with special reference to the structure of hemp fibres, different methods for surface modification and processing techniques to fabricate the composites based on thermoplastic, thermoset and biopolymers. The paper also focuses on the effects of surface treatment on the mechanical performance of the composites.