Thermal properties of hemp fiber-based hybrid composites

Thermal properties play important roles in determining the materials ability to perform in high-temperature exposure and harsh service conditions. Hemp fiber is one of the most commonly used natural fiber reinforcements in composite materials. This is due to the fact that hemp fiber is renewable and natural and offers high stiffness and strength in comparison with other natural fibers such as jute, kenaf, sisal, etc. Despite many attractive attributes, hemp fiber also suffers from disadvantages such as high moisture absorption, poor compatibility with hydrophobic polymers, lower thermal stability limits, high-temperature processing requirements, and their use in harsh serve conditions. Natural fibers such as hemp generally start degradation at around 230–240 °C. To reduce some of the drawbacks and enhance the thermal stability of hemp fiber-reinforced composites, different chemical treatments and surface modification methodologies have been employed. Among these improvement techniques, a hybrid approach has recently attracted much attention. Existing literature suggests that the adaptation of various improvement initiatives has resulted in improved performances of hemp fiber-reinforced composites. This chapter investigates and presents the benefits of various techniques including a hybrid approach in terms of improving thermal stability of these composites.