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. 2022 Jan 25;14(3):481.
doi: 10.3390/polym14030481.

Characterisation of Hemp Fibres Reinforced Composites Using Thermoplastic Polymers as Matrices

Lucia Stelea  1   2 , Ioan Filip  2 , Gabriela Lisa  3 , Mariana Ichim  1 , Mioara Drobotă  4 , Costică Sava  1 , Augustin Mureșan  1
Affiliations

Characterisation of Hemp Fibres Reinforced Composites Using Thermoplastic Polymers as Matrices

Lucia Stelea et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Hemp fibres used as a reinforcing agent and three polymeric matrices (polypropylene, bicomponent, recycled polyester) were used to obtain composite materials by needle punching and heat pressing. The influence of the hemp/matrix ratio and the nature of the matrix on the properties of the composites were analysed. The obtained composites were characterised by physical-mechanical indices, thermal analysis (thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermogravimetry (DTG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Chromatic measurements. The mechanical properties of composites are influenced by both the hemp/matrix ratio and the nature of the matrix. The thermal stability of composites decreased as the amount of hemp increased (for the same mass losses, the decomposition temperature decreased significantly for composites containing a quantity of hemp greater than 50%). Regarding the nature of the matrix, for the same mass loss, the highest decomposition temperature was presented by the composites containing recycled polyester as matrix, and the lowest one was presented by composites containing polypropylene fibres as matrix. The FTIR and SEM analyses highlight the changes that occurred in the structure of the composite, changes determined both by the amount of hemp in the composite and by the nature of the matrix.

Keywords: FTIR; SEM; colour strength; composites; hemp reinforcement; polymer matrix; thermal stability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Variation in tensile strength (a) and elongation at break (b) for hemp and polypropylene–fibre composites.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Variation in tensile strength (a) and elongation at break (b) for hemp composites and bicomponent fibres.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation in tensile strength (a) and elongation at break (b) for composite materials of hemp and polyester fibres.
Figure 4
Figure 4
TG curves (a) and DTG curves (b) for hemp fibres and matrix polymer fibres.
Figure 5
Figure 5
TG curves (a) and DTG curves (b) for composite materials consisting of hemp fibres and polypropylene fibres.
Figure 6
Figure 6
TG curves (a) and DTG curves (b) for composite materials consisting of hemp fibres and various matrices.
Figure 7
Figure 7
DSC curves heating process (a) and DSC curves cooling process (b) for hemp fibres and various matrices.
Figure 8
Figure 8
DSC curves heating process (a) and DSC curves cooling process (b) for composite materials consisting of hemp fibres and various matrices.
Figure 9
Figure 9
DSC curves heating process (a) and DSC curves cooling process (b) for the composite materials consisting of hemp fibres and polypropylene matrix.
Figure 10
Figure 10
FTIR spectra of (a) 100H; (b) 75H25PP; (c) 50H50PP; (d) 25H75PP; (e) 100PP; (f) 50H50BI; (g) 100BI; (h) 50H50PES and (i) 100PES.
Figure 10
Figure 10
FTIR spectra of (a) 100H; (b) 75H25PP; (c) 50H50PP; (d) 25H75PP; (e) 100PP; (f) 50H50BI; (g) 100BI; (h) 50H50PES and (i) 100PES.
Figure 10
Figure 10
FTIR spectra of (a) 100H; (b) 75H25PP; (c) 50H50PP; (d) 25H75PP; (e) 100PP; (f) 50H50BI; (g) 100BI; (h) 50H50PES and (i) 100PES.
Figure 11
Figure 11
SEM images of (a) hemp fibres, (b) polypropylene, (c) polyester, (d) bicomponent fibres; (e) 75H25PP, (f) 50H50PP, (g) 25H75PP, (h) 50H50PES and (i) 50H50BI.
Figure 11
Figure 11
SEM images of (a) hemp fibres, (b) polypropylene, (c) polyester, (d) bicomponent fibres; (e) 75H25PP, (f) 50H50PP, (g) 25H75PP, (h) 50H50PES and (i) 50H50BI.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Variation in the colour strength of composite materials obtained from: (a) polypropylene/hemp fibres; (b) bicomponent/hemp fibres; (c) recycled polyester/hemp fibres.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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