Enhancing the mechanical properties of flax fiber-reinforced epoxy composites through cellulose nanofiber incorporation

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have attracted significant attention as effective reinforcements for polymer composites because of their outstanding mechanical and structural properties. This study explored the incorporation of CNFs into flax fiber reinforced epoxy composites to enhance their overall performance. To overcome the challenges of CNFs dispersion, an innovative approach was developed in which CNFs were preloaded onto flax fabrics before resin infusion using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) method. The morphological, mechanical, structural and thermal properties of the composites were comprehensively evaluated for various CNFs loadings (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt%). Remarkably, a 0.3 wt% CNFs loading was found to significantly optimize the composite's Young's modulus, achieving a notable improvement of 204.02 %. This study underscores the potential of CNFs enhanced flax fabric composites for developing high-performance sustainable materials suitable for wide range of technical applications. A CNFs loading technique for enhancing the mechanical properties of FF/EP composite. • Effective loading technique addresses cellulose nanofiber dispersion challenges. • Cellulose fibers successfully loaded on flax fabric to reinforce epoxy composite. • 0.3 wt% cellulose nanofiber increased Young's modulus by 204 % in flax/epoxy composite. • Cellulose nanofiber-composites offer high-performance and eco-friendly solutions.