Effects of Kenaf Fibers Coated with Aluminum Trihydroxide on Limiting Oxygen Index and Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Biocomposites

Abstract

The effects of aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) coating on kenaf fibers on the properties such as limiting oxygen index, thermal stability, thermal expansion, dynamic mechanical properties, and tensile properties of biocomposites composed of kenaf fibers and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are studied. It has been found that with increasing the ATH coating concentration the kenaf fiber surfaces are changed and the surfaces become rougher as there is an increase in the surface area due to the distributed ATH particles. The ATH coating on the kenaf fibers results in the enhancement of not only limiting oxygen index (LOI), which is closely relevant to retardancy, but also thermal stability, thermo-dimensional stability, storage modulus, and tensile properties of kenaf fiber/PLA biocomposites, depending on the ATH coating concentration. ATH coating with an appropriate concentration significantly contributes to imparting fire resistance and also to reinforcing this biocomposite system.