Study of water behaviour of chemically treated flax fibres-based composites: A way to approach the hydric interface

Silane (Si) and styrene (S) treatments were applied on flax fibres in order to improve their adhesion with a polyester resin and to increase their moisture resistance. The water sorption and permeation kinetics of the composites were correlated with the water sorption behaviour of untreated and treated fibres. An increase of the water barrier effect was observed in treated fibres-based composites in comparison with untreated ones. This was related to the shift-down of water solubility and to a decrease of the water diffusivity in treated fibre-based composites. In the case of (S) treatment, the presence of styrene increased the moisture resistance of the treated fibres and made compatible the fibres and the matrix. In the case of (Si) treatment, a good hydric fibre/matrix interface was obtained due to crosslinking reactions and hydrogen bonding between water molecules and free hydroxyl groups of (Si) treated fibres. In order to interpret water permeation behaviour of composite films, a simple illustrated model is suggested and represented by a schematic view.