Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis of Kenaf Coir Epoxy Reinforced Carbon Nanotubes Nanoparticles Hybrid Composite

Abstract

Ecological awareness and sustainable development have attracted researchers’ focus on composites developed using natural fibers. Consequently, natural fiber polymer composites are flattering and increasingly prominent for use and research. Fiber-reinforced composites inhibit considerable benefits, in conjunction with high strength and lesser weight, simpler fabrication, biodegradability, lesser cost of production, and so on. Natural fiber offers good properties, but it requires proper matrix interface bonding along with effective synergy amongst each matrix-fibre combination. In the case of the hybrid composite proposed in this research, analytical modeling has been carried out and compared with the previous literature, in our previously published research [Parashar, S. and Chawla, V., 2022. Kenaf-coir based hybrid nanocomposite: AN analytical and representative volume element analysis. Engineering Solid Mechanics, 11(1), pp.103–118]. The present paper investigates the composite proposed in the research for scanning electron microscopy examinations, using an S3400M Scanning Electron Microscope. Each of the specimens has been cut to the necessary dimensions for SEM examination. The micrographs have been created with a high voltage of 20 kV. The broken surface of the tensile specimens of the composite samples was investigated using SEM. According to the findings of SEM and analytical modeling it has been observed that, combining nanoparticles of CNT as filler and kenaf-coir as fiber reinforcement results in a composite material with good interfacial adhesion betwixt matrix and fibers, high strength, and mechanical capabilities, to make hybrid composites for various industrial and automotive applications compared to composite present in the previous literature. The hybridization effect has also been evaluated for the composite, which depicts the higher tensile failure strain of the proposed hybrid composite.