Properties and performance of regenerated cellulose thermoset biocomposites

Abstract: Biocomposites have been developed to address the sustainability issues of nonrenewableresource based materials. These composites are often produced by reinforcing natural fibres in petroleum based thermoset resins or thermoplastic polymers. Thermoplastic polymers from renewable resources are commercially available, whereas thermoset resins are predominantly derived from crude oil resources. Cellulose fibres have significant importance and potential for polymer reinforcement in lightweight composites. Natural fibres are chemically diverse and their properties vary largely which makes it difficult for them to be used in several applications. The natural fibre based products are limited by their characteristic odour emissions. These issues of natural fibres can be addressed by partly manmade fibres i.e. regenerated cellulose fibre which with little or no compromise in the environmental benefits of the natural fibres can be produced from biomass origin. Natural fibres and their composites have been observed and researched closely for many decades. Study of regenerated cellulose fibres and their composites is, on the other hand, relatively new. Regenerated cellulose fibres are prospective reinforcing material in the composite field due to their even quality and high purity. These fibres have good mechanical properties and also address the odour emission issue of the natural fibres. The development of biocomposites from regenerated cellulose fibre and thermoset resin synthesized from renewable resources has therefore been viewed with considerable interest.This thesis describes the development of biocomposites from regenerated cellulose fibres (lyocell and viscose) and thermoset resins synthesized from renewable resources (soybean oil and lactic acid). The performance and the properties of the composites were evaluated. Chemical surface treatments, alkali and silane, were performed on the fibres in order to improve the performance of the composites. Hybrid composites were also produced by mixing of two types of reinforcement in order to complement one type of fibre with other. The developed composites were evaluated through mechanical, thermal, viscoelastic and morphological properties among others. The results showed that the regenerated cellulose fibre thermoset biocomposites have reasonably good properties. Fibres before and after treatment were studied in detail. The silane treatment on these fibres improved the mechanical properties of the composites as the silane molecules act as a link between the fibre and resin which gives the molecular continuity across the interface region of the composite.