Greener Surface Treatments of Natural Fibres for the Production of Renewable Composite Materials

Natural fibres have been the prime candidate to replace synthetic fibres for the production of composite materials. Major advantages associated with natural fibres include low cost, low density, high toughness and biodegradability. However, these intriguing properties of natural fibres do come at a price. The hydrophilic nature of natural fibres often results in poor compatibility with hydrophobic polymer matrices. Various surface treatments of natural fibres using chemicals have been developed to improve the compatibility between the fibres and the matrix, but large amounts of solvents are usually involved. In this chapter, greener surface treatments without the use of hazardous chemicals are reviewed. These include plasma treatments, the use of enzymes and fungi for the extraction and surface treatment of raw fibres or natural fibres and the deposition of bacterial cellulose onto natural fibres. These treatments are aimed at improving the interfacial adhesion between the fibres and the matrix, thereby improving the stress transfer efficiency from the matrix to the fibre. The effects of these treatments on the properties of natural fibres are discussed. In addition to this, the overall impact of these treatments on the mechanical properties of the resulting natural fibre reinforced composites is also addressed.

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