Characterization of vinyl silane-treated biomass cellulose and banana fiber on reinforced unsaturated polyester composite

This study examined the biocomposites consisting of unsaturated polyester (UP) reinforced with twill-woven banana fiber (TBF) and cassava root cellulose (CRC). The main objective of this study is to synthesize cellulosic particle from waste biomass and treat them with triethoxy-vinyl silane in order to examine the load-bearing properties of the composites. The cellulose is synthesized from the biomass via the thermo-chemical method and extracted cellulose and fiber-reinforced composites were fabricated using the hand layup method. The composites were allowed to cure sufficiently (24 h) and post-cured for 48 h. The results of the research demonstrated that the polyester matrix (61 vol.%) along with cellulose particle (4 vol.%) and banana fiber (35 vol.%) reinforced composite (PCB3) exhibited a maximum tensile strength of 130.5 MPa, a flexural strength of 155.2 MPa, an interlaminar shear strength of 5.52 GPa, an Izod impact toughness of 6.03 J, and a hardness of 83 Shore-D. Similarly, the same composite sample (PCB3) showed the lowest specific wear rate of 0.009 mm³/Nm. Furthermore, it was discovered that all of the composite fabricated plates exhibited a better water absorption and contact angle behavior exceeding 70°, which suggests that their hydrophobic nature is still preserved. Further, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed improved particle dispersion and reacted phases of fiber and particle with matrix. Thus, the present research study highlights the crucial need of establishing a robust link between the matrix and reinforcing fibers and how the inclusion of cellulose particles has been demonstrated to have advantageous impacts on improving mechanical characteristics. In addition, due to their improved strength, biodegradable, less dense, corrosive resistance nature, they could potentially be utilized in several specific applications, including automobile panels, drones, defense products, structural products, and sporting goods.