The impact of chemical treatment of lignocellulosic fibers' surfaces on the mechanical properties of composite materials: A review

Composites materials can be produced by combining two or more materials at macroscopic level. Composites consist of fibers as reinforcement and matrix as binding material. The fibers and matrix may be synthetic or derived from natural sources. Lignocellulosic fibers are the plant-based fibers that can be employed as reinforcement material in composites. These naturally obtained lignocellulosic fibers needs certain types of treatments to enhance its strength and compatibility with the matrix material. In this paper, the structure and composition of various lignocellulosic fibers and their mechanical strength is presented. The effect of chemical treatments such as acetylation, mercerization, silane, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) treatment and iso cyanate on the strength of the fiber and composites made from these fibers is reviewed. • Impact of various chemical treatments on mechanical characteristic of lignocellulosic fiber and its composites is reviewed. • Sources, composition and properties of lignocellulosic fibers are presented. • Various chemical treatments on fibers are reviewed in detail and compared.