Fabrication of biocomposites reinforced with natural fibers and evaluation of their physio-chemical properties

Abstract

The present study aims to fabricate and evaluate the physio-chemical features of biocomposites filled with natural resources. Kenaf was used as a natural resource model and prepared by mechanical milling and sieving to obtain short fiber form. Virgin and recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) were used as biocomposite matrix. Granular biocomposite was fabricated using the single screw extruder with the natural filler content variations ranging from 10 to 15%. Chemical composition, density, and dimension of the fabricated fillers were examined. Melt flow index, surface free energy, and functional group characteristics of the presently fabricated biocomposites were also evaluated. Analysis of the chemical composition, density, and dimension confirmed the physio-chemical characteristics of the fabricated fillers. The biocomposites density and melt flow index were slightly enhanced with the rise of the filler content. Contact angle, dispersive component, polar component, and surface free energy of biocomposites varied depending on the filler content and ABS type. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the functional groups of the biocomposites. In general, this work has successfully fabricated and evaluated the physio-chemical characteristics of composites filled with kenaf. The produced biocomposites can be a good strategy to produce high performance polymer biocomposites for future applications.