Oil Palm and Nettle Fibers Reinforced Functionalized <scp>HDPE</scp> Hybrid Composites and Their Comparative Performance

ABSTRACT This study develops two hybrid composites, both based on oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPF) and nettle fiber (NTF) reinforced chemically functionalized high‐density polyethylene (CF‐HDPE). NTF and OPF show a 20% difference in their total holo‐cellulose contents. Two sets are developed. (i) (NTF/OPF)/CF‐HDPE (E) hybrid composites with equal (E) amounts of OPF and NTF, with a total of 10%, 20%, and 30% reinforcements. (ii) Three compositions of (OPF/NTF)/CF‐HDPE (V) hybrid composites have variable (V) amounts of OPF and NTF, with a fixed (F) total (T) (FT) 30% amount of the reinforcements. The objectives are to study the effects of (i) fiber/matrix adhesion and (ii) the total holo‐cellulose contents of reinforcements on the structure and properties of the hybrid composites. All the hybrid composites have been extruded, and their samples have been injection molded. The composites show reinforcement/matrix adhesion through ester and hydrogen bonds between them, as per the Palsule process. Relative to the matrix, all the hybrid composites have higher tensile and flexural modulus and strength. The comparative performance of these hybrid composites indicates that these properties are governed by the total holo‐cellulose contents of all the reinforcing fibers. Of all the hybrid composites, the V1, the (10/20)/70 (OPF/NTF)/CF‐HDPE hybrid composite, with the highest amounts of the total holo‐cellulose contents of its OPF and NTF combinations, shows the highest values of its flexural properties and also tensile properties.