Femiana Gapsari, Lalu Tri Wijaya Nata Kusuma, Andoko Andoko, Andri Andriyana, Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa, Suchart Siengchin
Composites are expected to have good properties, such as water and moisture resistance. They require fibres that can bind well to a polymer matrix. Therefore, modification on a fibre surface was performed to improve hydrophobic behaviour and fibre–matrix interfacial bonds. The modification was done by conducting Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil coating. In this study, Ceiba pentandra fibre was modified using alkali treatment and coating. The results revealed that double treatment of alkali and coating produced the best Ceiba pentandra fibre properties. The lowest water absorption of the alkali-coated Ceiba pentandra fibre composite was 3.17%, and the tensile strength increased by 52.78%, indicating an increase in the fibre–matrix interfacial bond. The coating was effective to prevent water absorption and increase composite tensile strength. Alkali coating on Ceiba pentandra fibre, besides alkali treatment, can be an alternative to improve a fibre’s performance. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, State University of Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Natural Composites Research Group Lab, Department of Materials and Production Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok, Thailand
