Physical, structural and thermomechanical properties of nano oil palm empty fruit bunch filler based epoxy nanocomposites

In this work, we have used a novel flame retardant nano filler developed in our laboratory from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre for the fabrication of nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing 1, 3 and 5 wt.% nano OPEFB filler in an epoxy matrix using a high speed mechanical stirrer. Physical, structural, and thermomechanical analyses of the obtained nano OPEFB/epoxy nanocomposites were carried out and the results were compared with those for pure epoxy composites. Our findings revealed that the incorporation of the nano OPEFB filler in the epoxy matrix increased the density of the nanocomposites from 1.13 to 1.25 g/cm(3). The XRD pattern of the pure epoxy composites displayed sharp and highly intense peaks at a 2 theta value of 21 degrees, whereas all OPEFB/epoxy nanocomposites showed relatively less intense peaks that shifted to lower 2 theta values. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the epoxy composites decreased with increasing OPEFB nano filler content up to 3%, while beyond 3% it slightly increased. Overall, the results revealed that the thermomechanical properties reached maximum values for 3% loading, due to homogenous dispersion and improved interfacial bonding between the epoxy and the dispersed nano OPEFB filler.