Mechanical Characterization and Water Absorption Behavior of Waste Coconut Leaf Stalk Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Polymer Composite: Impact of Chemical Treatment

Abstract

In recent times, there has been a significant enhancement in the focus on composite materials that are reinforced with natural fibers, primarily driven by the growing environmental awareness. Naturally occurring fibers offer several advantages, that includes renewability, cost-effectiveness, complete or partial reusability, and biodegradability. The utilization of agricultural waste fibers for the fabrication of polymer composites has commercial potential. This study focuses on the production of polymer composites using coconut leaf stalk fibers to investigate their mechanical properties, including tensile, flexural, impact strengths, as well as their water absorption characteristics. The impact of chemical treatment is being investigated through the utilization of sodium hydroxide on the fibers of coconut leaf stalks. The findings indicate that untreated fiber composites demonstrate superior mechanical properties, including tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength, as well as water absorption behavior, compared to alkali-treated fiber composites. These findings would help to accelerate the applications of biofibers based composite materials.