Sodium carbonate treatment of fibres to improve mechanical and water absorption characteristics of short bamboo natural fibres reinforced polyester composite

The effect of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) treatment of short bamboo fibres on mechanical properties and water absorption character of polyester composite is investigated. Treatment time and Na2CO3 concentration were optimised to 6 h and 5 wt-% respectively. Microscopy of the treated fibres showed a significant change in surface texture whereas; FTIR suggested the removal of amorphous compounds from the fibres that resulted in enhanced interfacial bonding between fibres and the polyester matrix. Removal of amorphous compounds was also confirmed by TGA where material loss for untreated fibres was 15% higher than the treated fibres. Composites were prepared using 10, 20 and 30 wt-% of treated and untreated fibres. Good interfacial bonding, achieved by the fibre treatment, enhanced the strength (similar to 24 MPa),( decreased the impact energy (from similar to 36x10(-3) KJ/m(2) to similar to 33x10(-3) KJ/m(2)) and improved the water absorption resistance (similar to 2%) in case of 20 wt-% fibres composite.