A novel wood fiber/waterborne epoxy resin composite with high fiber content and performance fabricated by a green and simple process

Abstract Developing green and high‐strength composites with feasible manufacturing process is desirable for advanced applications in construction, transportation, automotive, aerospace, and so on. A novel green and high‐strength wood fiber (WF)/waterborne epoxy resin (WEP) composite with high fiber content, low‐cost, and simple processing was proposed in this study. WF was simply and directly mixed with WEP and the mixture was hot‐pressed to mold the composite. The optimal tensile and flexural strength of 98 MPa and 155 MPa were achieved at 80% WF content, which were superior to those of traditional WF/EP composites. The interphase thickness of 220 nm of WF/WEP composite was more than twice as high as that of 109 nm of WF/EP composite, which was resulted from the penetration of WEP in the micro‐nano structure of WF. Furthermore, the thermal performance of WF/WEP composite was also promoted compared to those of WF/EP composites. This work demonstrated that composites with high WF content could achieve high performance and exhibit significant potential in many applications. Highlights Wood fiber/waterborne epoxy resin composites fabricated by a green and simple process. Optimal mechanical properties were achieved at 80% wood fiber content. WEP penetrated in the micro‐nano structure of WF. The composites with high WF content achieve high performance.