Thermomechanical Properties of Sustainable Polymer Composites Incorporating Agricultural Wastes

Abstract

Polymer matrix composites have been used extensively in the aerospace and automotive industries. Nevertheless, the growing demand for composites raises concerns about the thermal stability, cost, and environmental impacts of synthetic fillers like graphene and carbon nanotubes. Hence, this study investigates the possibility of enhancing the thermomechanical properties of polymer composites through the incorporation of agricultural waste as fillers. Particles from walnut, coffee, and coconut shells were used as fillers to create particulate composites. Bio-based composites with 10 to 30 wt.% filler were created by sifting these particles into various mesh sizes and dispersing them in an epoxy matrix. In comparison to the pure polymer, DSC results indicated that the inclusion of 50 mesh 30 wt.% agricultural waste fillers increased the glass transition temperature by 8.5%, from 55.6 °C to 60.33 °C. Also, the TGA data showed improved thermal stability. Subsequently, the agricultural wastes were employed as reinforcement for laminated composites containing woven glass fiber with a 50% fiber volume fraction, eight plies, and varying particle filler weight percentages from 0% to 6% with respect to the laminated composite. The hybrid laminated composite demonstrated improved impact resistance of 142% in low-velocity impact testing. These results demonstrate that fillers made of agricultural wastes can enhance the thermomechanical properties of sustainable composites, creating new environmentally friendly prospects for the automotive and aerospace industries.