Integration of cellulosic bhimal/nettle fibers and nanofillers into epoxy based composites: Mechanical, thermal and...

The utilization of the agro wastes into valuable products has become significant for achieving sustainability. This study evaluated the mechanical, thermal, and morphological performance of surface treated bhimal/nettle-fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrids loaded with different nano-fillers, i.e., TiO₂, CaCO₃, and fly ash. TiO₂-reinforced bhimal/nettle fiber composites (Ti05BN20) exhibited the highest mechanical properties with tensile strength 61.60 MPa, flexural strength 95.37 MPa, and impact strength 42.00 J/m. CaCO₃ based bhimal/nettle fiber composite (Ca15BN15) achieved the highest compressive strength (168.50 MPa), while Flyash-bhimal/nettle fibers composites (Fa05BN20) reached tensile and compressive strength of 57.32 MPa and 155.73 MPa, respectively. TiO₂-based hybrid composite exhibited superior thermal stability and highest Weibull modulus (> 10), evidencing excellent reliability and uniform stress distribution. Fly ash-based composites demonstrated moderate scatter, while CaCO₃-based composites showed higher variability due to filler agglomeration. Overall, the study distinctly exhibited sustainable route to develop bhimal/nettle and nanofillers based hybrid composites with improved mechanical and morphological properties with potential applications in construction and automotive sectors. The application of Weibull statistical analysis provides quantitative in-depth analysis to confirm the reliability and failure probability of the hybrid composites, rarely reported in previous studies.