Thermal and Mechanical Characterization of Coir Fibre-Reinforced Polypropylene Biocomposites

In recent years, the growth of environmental awareness has increased the interest in the development of biocomposites which are sustainable materials with an excellent price-performance ratio and low weight. The current study aimed to obtain and characterize the biocomposites prepared by thermoforming using coir fibres as reinforcing material and polypropylene as matrix. The biocomposites were produced with different coir fibres/polypropylene ratios and were characterized by physical-mechanical indices, thermal analysis, crystallinity, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and chromatic measurements. Both tensile and bending strength of biocomposites decreased when the coir fibre content increased. The melting temperature of biocomposite materials has decreased with the increase of the coir fibre loading. Regarding the thermal stability, the weight loss and degradation temperature increased with decreasing coir fibre content. The ATR-FTIR and SEM analyses underlined the modifications that took place in the structure of the biocomposites by modifying the coir fibres/matrix ratio.

Automated summary

This study aimed to produce and characterize biocomposites made of coir fibers as reinforcing material and polypropylene as matrix through thermoforming, analyzing their physical-mechanical properties, thermal stability, and structural changes. Results showed that as the content of coir fibers increased, the strength of the biocomposites decreased, accompanied by a decrease in melting temperature and an increase in thermal stability. The modifications in the structure of the biocomposites were highlighted through ATR-FTIR and SEM analysis by altering the ratio of coir fibers to matrix.