The impact of alkaline treatment on the mechanical and physical properties of Kenaf core fibre reinforced vinyl ester composites

Nowadays, natural fibre has a high demand in any application development. The use of natural fibre in various applications worldwide is one of the alternative ways to replace synthetic fibre. Currently, polymer composites using natural fibre as reinforced materials are trending in the aeronautic and automotive industries. Therefore, this research focuses on the impact of surface modification on kenaf core fibre reinforced vinyl ester composites towards mechanical and physical properties. From the obtained results, the modified fibre has good strength and modulus, and also physical properties, such as water absorption and density. The flexural strength of modified fibre improved to 55.47%, while the modulus increased to 83.87% as compared to the unmodified fibre. For tensile strength, the modified composites improved by 58.02%. The modified fibre shows improved water resistance, as clarified by the water absorption analysis. The surface modification of kenaf core fibre using alkaline treatment achieved good results compared to unmodified fibre in enhancing the interlocking between fibre/matrix, reducing certain chemical content, and reducing the hydrophilicity of the composites.