Abstract
Natural fibers are environmentally sustainable, reusable, and biodegradable compared to synthetic materials in industrial applications. As a result of their favourable specific strength-to-weight ratio, they are perfect for industries like automobile production that need lightweight yet robust components. Economically, natural fibers are preferable to synthetic since they are typically less expensive. However, there are difficulties in composite applications because of the incompatibility of natural fibers with polymeric matrices. Surface treatments are used to improve adherence and compatibility. Chemical, physical, or biological processes change the surface of fibers which improves the required characteristics of good natural fibers. The expense of chemical agents must be considered, however the increased mechanical properties that arise from treatments may allow for less fiber to be used. Enzymatic procedures or fungi are used in biological treatments to get rid of hydrophilic materials from fiber surfaces. The paper presents an exhaustive examination of natural fiber surface treatments, including their benefits, drawbacks, and potential applications in polymer composites. The article discusses about different methods of physical, chemical, and biological treatments, followed by discussion and future direction of research. The researchers can get an advanced concept on different surface treatment methods which will help them in choosing the best surface treatment method or to discover best research topic. The future of this research direction will be on integrating treated fillers, investigating biological methods and nano particle treatments, and improving the performance of composite materials. Researchers may advance the development of natural fiber composites by focusing on these opportunities, which will increase their uses, boost performance, and encourage sustainability.
doi: 10.17756/nwj.2023-s4-036
Citation: Swain S, Patra SK, Jena SP, Sharma VP. 2023. Modification by Surface Treatment of Natural Fibers for Enhanced Performance in Fiber-reinforced Composites: A Comprehensive Review. NanoWorld J 9(S4): S203-S213.