Experimental analysis of biochar filler effects on the mechanical, water absorption, and viscoelastic properties of novel caryota fiber reinforced polymeric composites: The role of biodegradable reinforcements concentration

Abstract The natural fibers and waste biomass used in polymer composites are identified as a potential reinforcement that is highly sought after in making sports goods, household furniture, packaging of foodstuffs, and the transport industry owing to their lightweight properties. The strength of the composite is enhanced by adopting hybridization techniques that further enlarge its application horizon in various fields. This work investigates the effects of micro filler made of almond biochar (ABC) and caryota fiber (CF) loading on the mechanical, morphological, water absorption, and viscoelastic behaviors of epoxy composites reinforced with caryota fiber (CF) for structural applications. The epoxy composites reinforced with CF and ABC at varied concentrations of (10–30 wt.%) and (4–12 wt.%), prepared CF/ABC/epoxy composites through the hand layup method. Mechanical evaluations, which include flexural, impact, and tensile strengths, show that ABC at 8 wt.% and CF at 20 wt.% combination increases tensile and flexural strength. Comparing the tensile strength (TS) of CF20/epoxy and ABC8/epoxy composites, the highest TS of CF20‐ABC8 is 98 MPa, which is 37.2% and 50.9% greater, respectively. The water absorption property shows an increasing trend with increasing ABC content and exposure time. The experimental results are further validated by optimum testing employing response surface methodology (RSM), highlighting the potential of ABC filler to improve the prepared natural fiber‐reinforced composites (NFRCs). The addition of CF and ABC into the epoxy matrix also enhances the dynamic mechanical modulus. The addition of ABC particle laminates enhanced the glass transition temperature (Tg). Highlights ABC filler increased the CF/matrix adhesion ABC increased the mechanical strength of the CF/epoxy composite RSM model was used to validate the TS of the CF/epoxy composite Addition of CF and ABC enhances the dynamic mechanical modulus Addition of CF/ABC reinforcements increased the damping of the epoxy composite