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Abstract

This research focuses on developing environmentally friendly hybrid nanocomposites based on a polymer blend of 25% PMMA and 75% bio-epoxy, reinforced with natural materials, including eggshell powder, cuttlefish bone, siwak, and flax fibres. Tensile testing results showed a significant enhancement in mechanical characteristics with increasing reinforcement percentage. The eggshell-reinforced blend with siwak fibres achieved the best mechanical performance at 3 wt.%, having a tensile strength of around 15 MPa and a Young's modulus of roughly 0.72 GPa, as opposed to the unreinforced blend, which measured roughly 6 MPa and 0.35 GPa, respectively. The elongation also increased from approximately 1.8% for the unreinforced blend to approximately 4.9%, indicating reduced brittleness and improved ductility and toughness.
Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) results showed no new absorption peaks after the addition of the reinforcement materials, indicating that the interaction among the polymer matrix as well as the reinforcement materials was a physical reaction without the formation of new chemical bonds. This resulted in a noticeable improvement in the mechanical as well as structural properties of the produced composites while maintaining the fundamental chemical composition.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed a clear improvement in structural homogeneity and interfacial cohesion between the polymer matrix and the reinforcing materials, with a uniform distribution of particles and fibres and reduced voids and porosity. More complex fracture mechanisms were also observed, including crack deflection and fibre pulling, which contributed to increased fracture resistance and improved stress transmission within the composite.

DOI

10.53293/2788-6867.1183

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