Mechanical, wear and thermal behaviour of rice husk microfibre and ZrO₂ bioceramic from Phyllanthus niruri extracts reinforced vinyl ester composites

This research delves into a sustainable approach to produce robust materials. The study utilized extracts from the Phyllanthus niruri plant to prepare nanoparticles of ZrO₂, a material known for its strength. Incorporating these nanoparticles into a substance called vinyl ester, along with reinforcing it with rice husk microfibres, led to the development of new composite materials. The study examined the resulting materials in terms of their mechanical properties, wear resistance and thermal behaviour. The addition of the ZrO₂ nanoparticles notably increased the mechanical strength of the composites. Thus, composite designation contains 0.5 vol.% of ZrO2 (VR1) which exhibits a high tensile strength of 104 MPa, flexural strength of 158 MPa, compression strength of 128 MPa and impact energy of 3.21 J. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractographs revealed the particle dispersion and void adhesion phenomenon of fibre with resin. These materials also demonstrated impressive resistance to wear and thermal degradation at higher concentration of ZrO₂ particles, making them potentially well-suited for applications requiring durability. The lowest coefficient of friction (COF) and sp. wear rate of 0.24 and 0.012 mm³/Nm as well as the lowest mass loss of 1.24% at the initial thermal deformation zone were noted for composite contains 2 vol.% of ZrO2 (VR3). By effectively utilizing ZrO₂ nanoparticles sourced from Phyllanthus niruri, and incorporating them alongside rice husk microfibres within vinyl ester, developed materials that possess resilience, durability, and environmental conscientiousness. The applications for these materials span various domains demanding high mechanical strength, thermally stable and wear resistance.