{"id":140965,"date":"2024-03-22T07:20:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T06:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=140965"},"modified":"2024-03-18T15:03:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T14:03:41","slug":"exploring-the-development-and-applications-of-sustainable-natural-fiber-composites-a-review-from-a-nanoscale-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/exploring-the-development-and-applications-of-sustainable-natural-fiber-composites-a-review-from-a-nanoscale-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the development and applications of sustainable natural fiber composites: A review from a nanoscale perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>NFCs offer a promising and eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fiber composites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The relationships between the structures and properties of NFCs are presented.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The interfacial nano-engineering modification of natural fibers is discussed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Applications of NFCs in engineering industries towards carbon-neutral are reviewed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prospects and challenges of using ML-assisted MD simulations are demonstrated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abstract<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"abspara0010\">As a result of global sustainable development, natural fiber composites (NFCs) have become increasingly attractive due to their remarkable performance, novel functionality, and eco-friendliness. Natural fibers are biodegradable, affordable, and low-density, which makes them potential materials for use in developing alternatives to traditional petroleum-based synthetic fiber composites. However, challenges such as inadequate compatibility between natural fibers and matrix limit the further development of NFCs. Studies have shown that molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can offer valuable insights into the fundamental properties and deformation mechanisms governing the macroscopic performances of NFCs, including mechanical properties, thermal stability, and interfacial interactions. Based on the underlying understanding of the nanostructure of natural fibers, these fibers can be modified at nanoscale to improve the performance of NFCs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"abspara0010\">This paper first reviews the hierarchical structures of natural fibers, mainly wood and bamboo fibers, highlighting their relationship with mechanical and thermal properties. Treatments to improve natural fiber-matrix compatibilities are then presented. The fundamental factors behind the functionalized properties of modified NFCs are emphasized from the nanoscale. Additionally, applications of NFCs as structural and functional materials in the construction, automotive, and aerospace industries are reviewed. Finally, this paper identifies the growing use of machine learning-assisted MD simulation techniques to facilitate the design of NFCs. Literature and data sources for this study were obtained through a combination of online academic databases, citation chaining, government databases, and industry reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Graphical abstract<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-140984\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;width:639px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg-270x270.jpg 270w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2024\/03\/1-s2.0-S135983682400180X-ga1_lrg.jpg 1085w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"p0040\">Natural fibers have shown great potential for advancing composite materials, motivated by sustainability principles, due to their renewable, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and carbon-neutral characteristics [1]. Fiber-reinforced composites have found extensive applications in building, aerospace, automobile, marine, and many other fields. In these composites, traditional synthetic fibers such as glass, carbon, and aramid, known to be manufactured from fossil fuels in an energy-consuming manner, are commonly used as reinforcement. While synthetic fiber-reinforced composites have made significant contributions to construction and other industries due to their high strength and durability, there are growing environmental concerns arising from the high energy consumption, costs, and pollution associated with the production of these composites. The recycling of petroproducts is usually accompanied by the generation of solid waste and the emission of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2<\/sub>) [2,3]. Strict legislation on non-biodegradable composites has been implemented in regions such as Europe and North America, inspiring the development of sustainable natural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"p0045\">Natural fibers are a kind of biomass fiber directly obtained from plants, animals, or mineral sources. Of these options, plant fibers, which have a low cost and outstanding mechanical properties are currently the most popular. Widely consumed natural fibers, including wood fibers derived from trees and non-wood plant fibers (<em>e.g.<\/em>, bamboo, hemp, flax, sisal, jute, and kenaf), along with chitin, which naturally occurs in the exoskeletons of crustaceans, insects, and the cell walls of fungi, are considered to be up to 100% recyclable [4,5], making them a vital part of emerging green materials. The use of biocomposites reinforced by natural fibers can reduce carbon footprint by nearly 50% compared to composites made from petroleum. Wood and bamboo fibers stand out among the various natural fibers due to their abundance and wide adaptability. They have been extensively utilized in engineering for over a millennium, making a significant contribution to civil engineering. Sustainability, relatively high strength, low specific density, and cost-effectiveness are the main motivations for using natural fibers as the reinforcing phase to form natural fiber composites (NFCs) that can compete with traditional synthetic fiber-reinforced composites [4,6]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"p0045\">Numerous studies have attempted, over the past few decades, to utilize natural fibers in order to produce cost-effective and high-performance NFCs with minimal environmental impact. Currently, the end users of NFCs include building and construction, aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronics, food packaging, and many other industries [7]. As a primary consumer of raw materials, the building and construction industry contributes 25\u201340% of global CO<sub>2<\/sub>\u00a0emissions; it also holds a considerable market share in the global economy [8]. Therefore, adopting natural materials in the construction industry is of great importance for the transition to zero carbon. Better fuel efficiency can be achieved by using lightweight materials, while biodegradable materials can introduce less pollution during manufacturing and recycling. Hence, composites based on natural fibers with low density and degradability can open up new avenues toward innovative designs for the automotive and aerospace sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To read the full report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S135983682400180X\">please klick here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Highlights Abstract As a result of global sustainable development, natural fiber composites (NFCs) have become increasingly attractive due to their remarkable performance, novel functionality, and eco-friendliness. Natural fibers are biodegradable, affordable, and low-density, which makes them potential materials for use in developing alternatives to traditional petroleum-based synthetic fiber composites. However, challenges such as inadequate compatibility [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":140985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"This paper first reviews the hierarchical structures of natural fibers, mainly wood and bamboo fibers, highlighting their relationship with mechanical and thermal properties","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[11286,5838,5842,11323,5528],"supplier":[3767,23824,23823],"class_list":["post-140965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-biocomposites","tag-bioeconomy","tag-biomass","tag-naturalfibers","tag-sustainability","supplier-city-university-of-hong-kong","supplier-harbin-institute-of-technology","supplier-wuhan-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140965"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=140965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}