Untreated and chemically treated Pennisetum orientale grass fiber filled vinyl ester composites: Physical, mechanical, and thermal properties analysis

Abstract The utilization of natural fibers rather than engineered filaments has turned into a subject of conversation in the composite industries. In this research, one of the natural fibers was synthesized from Pennisetum orientale grass and the surfaces were modified using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) chemically. Then they were used as reinforcement in vinyl ester polymer by different weight percentage (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 wt%) for fabrication of composites. At different filler loading various mechanical properties were evaluated and discussed. The mechanical properties of the composites were observed to increase at beginning phase with increase in filler content till optimum (25 wt%) fiber loading and from there on declines. The composite at optimum fiber loading were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and compared with untreated composites. The findings give manufactures and engineer a general idea to use this composite for weight reduction especially in automotive applications.