The Unique Morphology of Coconut Petiole Fibers Facilitates the Fabrication of Plant Composites with High Impact Performance

Abstract

The present work explored alkali–treated coconut petiole fibers (ACPFs) characterization and the effect of fiber loadings on the mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/ACPF composites for the first time. The physical, mechanical, and interfacial properties, as well as the morphology of the ACPFs were reported. It was found that ACPFs with a density of 0.92 g/cm3 have average tensile strength and tensile modulus equal to 355.77 MPa and 5212.36 MPa. The interfacial strength between ACPFs and PLA was high (14.06 MPa), attributed to the micro–sized holes on the fibers, as established from SEM micrographs. Then composites with varying fiber loadings were fabricated by melt–blending and compression molding. The mechanical (tensile, flexural, and impact) performance of composites was reported. Based on the high interfacial strength between fibers and PLA and the unique “spiral” structure of fibers, the composites reached a high impact strength of 8.2 kJ/m2 and flexural modulus of 6959.70 MPa at 50 wt.%, representing 150% and 50% improvement relative to pure PLA.