High-Strength, Thermally Stable, and Processable Wood Fiber/Polyamide Composites for Engineering Structural...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Sustainable Materials

Background:

• Hybrid wood fiber/plastic composites offer sustainable agroforestry waste utilization and reduce plastic pollution.
• Poor interface compatibility between natural wood fibers and polymers limits composite mechanical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a straightforward, additive-free method to enhance wood fiber/polyamide composite interface compatibility.
• To improve the mechanical and thermal properties of wood fiber/polyamide composites.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal pretreatment to remove hemicellulose from wood fibers.
• Compositing hydrothermally treated wood fibers (HWFs) with polyamide.
• Characterization of HWPACs' thermal stability, interfacial bonding, and mechanical properties.

Main Results:

• Effective hemicellulose removal (78.35%) increased HWFs' thermal degradation temperature by 27.49°C.
• Improved interfacial bonding prevented micro-gaps, enhancing mechanical strength (flexural strength 139.45 MPa).
• HWPACs exhibit high strength, thermal stability, and low density (1.22 g cm⁻³).

Conclusions:

• Hydrothermal pretreatment is an effective, eco-friendly method to improve wood fiber/polyamide composites.
• The developed HWPACs are suitable for lightweight, high-strength engineering structural components.
• This approach simplifies manufacturing and offers environmental benefits by avoiding chemical additives.