Open Access

ARTICLE

Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Coconut Sheath and Basalt Fibres: Enhancing Mechanical and Thermal Performance for Sustainable Applications

Subburayan Manickavasagam Suresh Kumar¹, Sundaravel Balachandran², Seong Cheol Kim³, Balamurugan Rathinam^4,*, Vanaraj Ramkumar^3,5,*

1 Department of Chemistry, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Engineering College, Perambalur, 621212, India
2 Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishnankoil, 626126, India
3 School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeonsan, 38541, Republic of Korea
4 Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu, 64002, Taiwan
5 Department of Computational Biology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 602105, India

* Corresponding Authors: Balamurugan Rathinam. Email: ; Vanaraj Ramkumar. Email:

Journal of Polymer Materials 2024, 41(4), 207-218. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2024.057901

Received 30 August 2024; Accepted 12 November 2024; Issue published 16 December 2024

Abstract

The present study focuses on sustainable biopolymer composites created from coconut sheath and basalt fibres, which are biodegradable, environmentally benign, and have low carbon footprints. High specific strength, superior mechanical performance, reduced weight, and improved thermal stability are all displayed by these materials. Four hybrid epoxy composites (C1–C4) were produced utilizing five stacking sequences and compression moulding, demonstrating that hybridization considerably enhances mechanical characteristics. The hybrid and pure basalt fibre composites have larger storage moduli than untreated coconut sheath fibre-reinforced epoxy (2.1 GPa). The greatest glass transition temperature (Tg) for C4 has been determined to be 118°C. These low-cost, non-toxic composites provide environmentally friendly options for use in the electronics, packaging, automotive, and construction sectors.

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