Sustainable composite materials with date palm rachis fibers for enhanced insulation and structural integrity

Abstract

This investigation focuses on the development and characterization of sustainable composite materials for insulation and structural components in the automotive and shipbuilding industries, by incorporating date palm Rachis fibers into an epoxy matrix. Thus, we evaluated the effect of the weight ratio (ranging from 0 to 15 wt%) of Rachis fibers (0.315 mm) on the mechanical, physical, surface morphology, thermal properties, and water absorption. It turns out according to the study that, the XRD pattern revealed the amorphous nature of the composite. This new material can be used as composite material itself or as a skin of a sandwich composite material. The Epoxy-Rachis (ER) composite materials exhibited a low thermal conductivity of 0.21 W/ (m.K) and a low thermal diffusivity of 0.17 mm2 s−1 presenting high thermal insulation and construction properties. The SEM images showed that increasing Rachis fiber concentration produces a heterogeneous bio-composite material. The resulting composition showcases ductile fracture behavior with a flexural modulus (Ef) of 3.21 GPa and a bending strength (σ) of 9.28 MPa. These attributes underline the suitability of this composite for applications requiring efficient thermal insulation and robust construction properties, while simultaneously contributing to environmental sustainability and environmental benefits.