Effect of graphene and MXene as 2D filler material on physico-mechanical properties of hemp/E-glass fibers reinforced hybrid composite: A comparative study

The present study concentrates on the mechanical, morphological, water absorption and burning behavior of hemp/E-glass fiber reinforced hybrid composites (FRHC). The surface adhesive characteristics of the acquired bi-directional hemp fiber mats were enhanced by treating them with an alkali solution. Furthermore, the present work extends to identify the effects of two 2-dimensional graphene and MXene nanoparticles as filler on the hardness, flexural and tensile behavior as well as water absorption and flammability characteristics of the FRHC. The glass fiber (G), hemp fiber (H), and hemp/glass (G/H) fiber reinforced epoxy LY556 laminates were fabricated by using the hand lay-up method followed by the vacuum bagging approach. A 30% and 12% increase in the flexural and tensile strength of the H/G hybrid composite has been observed by adding 1% of graphene as an additional reinforcement compared with the neat FRHC. However, the use of MXene as additional reinforcements shows 45% and 10% enhancement in the flexural and tensile strength of the H/G hybrid composite. In addition, the water absorption capacity of MXene-filled G/H hybrid composites is found to be almost half of that filled with graphene. Similarly, the flammability results reveal that the burning rate of graphene-reinforced H/G hybrid composite is 17.44 mm/min. When comparing the mechanical, water absorption, and flammability characteristics of graphene and MXene-reinforced G/H hybrid composites, graphene gives more intensifying results than MXene. The scanning electron microscopic studies are also incorporated to investigate the fractured surface topography of the FRHC.

Automated summary

The present study investigates the mechanical properties, morphological characteristics, water absorption, and burning behavior of hemp/E-glass fiber reinforced hybrid composites (FRHC). The adhesive properties of bi-directional hemp fiber mats were improved by treating them with alkali solution. The effects of graphene and MXene nanoparticles as fillers on the properties of the FRHC were examined. Graphene exhibited better reinforcement effects than MXene in terms of mechanical properties, water absorption, and flammability. Scanning electron microscopic studies were conducted to analyze the fractured surface topography of the FRHC.