A review on Luffa fibres and their polymer composites

Luffa spp. is readily available and widely grown in Asia and Africa and is a rich source of natural fibres for composite development. This paper reviews research findings on Luffa fibres and their composites. The progress of research, novel findings that affect the paradigm of the research area, recent trends, knowledge gaps and future perspectives are evaluated. It was found that the average chemical composition of Luffa fibres ranges from 57–74% cellulose, 14–30% of hemicellulose, 1–22% of lignin and 0–12.8% of the other components. Luffa fibres were usually extracted by drying. Furthermore, the most common modification technique was found to be by alkali mercerisation. About 53% of the research studies made use of epoxy resins for their base polymer making it the most popular polymer type for Luffa fibre reinforced composites. The composites are fabricated usually by manual mixing and hand layup and the most common curing technique was found to be compression moulding (about 63% of the research studies). The mechanical, thermal, crystalline and other properties of the composites are also considered in this review. Further interesting areas suggested for future work include investigation of the effect of drying, more trials with L. acutangula and utilisation of multi-resin ternary systems. It is concluded that Luffa is a promising material for composite development and based on its favourable properties is likely to continue playing an important role for the years to come.