Thermogravimetric behavior of natural fibers reinforced polymer composites—An overview

Natural fibers obtained from plants, known as lignocellulosic fibers are environmentally friendly alternatives for synthetic fiber, as polymer composite reinforcement. Applications of natural fiber composites are expanding in many engineering areas, from civil construction to automobile manufacturing. In recent years, a considerable number of scientific and technological works, including review papers, were dedicated to the characterization and properties of natural fibers and their composites. The mechanical behavior and the fracture characteristics are usually the most investigated and reviewed themes for the purpose of comparison to corresponding polymer composites reinforced with synthetic fibers, mainly fiberglass. The thermal behavior is also of practical interest for conditions associated with temperatures above the ambient, as in fire damage, curing or process involving heating procedures. In fact, several works also assessed distinct thermal responses, particularly in terms of thermogravimetric properties of natural fiber polymer composites. As no general review was conducted so far on the thermogravimetric (TG) behavior of these materials, this article presents an overview limited to temperature effects related to the loss of mass by means of TG analysis and the related derivative, DTG, for different polymer composites reinforced with the most common and relevant lignocellulosic fibers.