From cellulose to composite materials
An international team of researchers, led by Assistant Professor J Naveen (VIT, India), has finally completed and published a comprehensive survey of the complex structure of the natural fibres embedded in and reinforcing polymer composite materials.
These natural fibres contain nanocellulose, which is one of the most important green materials because of their abundance, high aspect ratio, improved mechanical capabilities, renewability, and biocompatibility.
The review mainly covers the effect of different properties of nanocellulose on the mechanical properties of nanocellulose-based multiscale composites, the classification of nanocellulose structures, extraction of nanocellulose, and mechanical properties of cellulose- based multiscale composites such as tensile, flexural and impact, followed by the applications of nanocellulose-based multiscale fiber reinforced polymer composites.
Importantly, the survey revealed that there is an increasingly strong demand in the industry for an efficient alternate material to man-made synthetic materials with superior mechanical properties. Nano cellulose-based multiscale composites can be an efficient alternative to meet the UN sustainable development goals, such as SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production, without compromising performance.
The work has been published in Polymer Composites. The paper can be viewed at https://DOI: 10.1002/pc.27175.
The team comprises prominent researchers, namely Professor Mohammad Jawaid, who hails from the Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, Dr Ahmad Rashedi, Head of Carbon & Sustainability at Carbon Neutral and Senior Scientist from College of Engineering, IT & Environment, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Australia, Dr Mohd Nor Faiz Norrrahim, Research Officer at Research Center for Chemical Defence, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dr Rushdan Ahmad Ilyas, from School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia and Professor Kheng Lim Goh from Newcastle University in Singapore.
For further details and enquiry on potential collaboration, please contact Professor Mohammad Jawaid, at [email protected], Professor J. Naveen at [email protected] or Professor K L Goh at [email protected].
