Abstract

Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil (AESO) polymer and epoxy composite as reinforcement have been widely used to coat timoho fiber (TF), especially in automotive structure. This study investigates the effectiveness of treatment on fiber surfaces with a polymer coating to improve the compatibility of natural fiber with matrix. The composite is made by varying timoho fiber treatment with and without polymer coating. The results revealed that treating fiber using NaOH and polymer coating reduced water adsorption and swellability. TF composite with alkaline and polymer coating had the lowest water absorption (12.15%) and swellability (3.86%). Polymer coating treatment on composite fiber increased the thermal stability. However, AESO polymer coating did not significantly affect the mechanical properties. The SEM results showed that the morphology of composite surface and fiber polymer coating had a good interface between the matrix epoxy and TF.

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