Effect of nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of kenaf fiber-reinforced bio-based epoxy resin

Ecological composites materials have become a topic of interest in materials science and engineering in recent years because of the growing need for environment-friendly composites that maintain properties like light weight, but gain biodegradability and renewability. Bio-composites of kenaf fiber-reinforced bio-based epoxy resin filled with different kind of nanoparticles were prepared in this work using a hybrid manufacturing process combining vacuum-assisted resin infusion and an autoclave. Nanoparticles of carbon, metal oxides and layered silicates were employed in this work to analyze their effect on the mechanical properties of bio-kenaf composites. Nanoparticles were synthesized and heat-treated according to their nature, and Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups. Laminar structures, such as graphene or layered silicates, had more influence on the bio-kenaf composite toughness than the particle-like morphology of metal oxides. However, the nanoparticles influenced the strength because of their effective stress transfer mechanism. Despite voids of different sizes, which were detected using scanning tomography, they did not influence the mechanical properties of the bio-kenaf composites, showing that the filler effect of the nanoparticles is the dominant mechanism.