Investigation of bamboo pulp fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

Abstract

Abstract Mechanical pulp fibers (MPFs) and chemical pulp fibers (CPFs) from moso bamboo have been characterized in terms of their length and width distributions, and their reinforcing effects in unsaturated polyester (UPE) composites have also been investigated. CPF-UPE composites had much higher tensile strength, flexural strength, and flexural modulus than MPF-UPE composites. CPF-UPE composites also absorbed less water than MPF-UPE composites. Treatments of the fibers with a combination of 1,6-diisocyanatohexane (DIH) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) significantly increased the tensile strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and water resistance of the resulting composites. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicated that DIH-HEA was bound onto bamboo fibers (BFs) via carbamate linkages. The scanning electron microscopy images of the tensile-fractured surfaces of the composites revealed that the DIH-HEA treatments for BFs greatly improved the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and UPE resins.