Mechanical, viscoelastic, and biodegradability characteristics of ramie fibre-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene composites

Biocomposites made from natural fibers have attracted significant attention in recent years owing to the global concern regarding plastic accumulation. In this investigation, ramie fiber was employed as a natural fiber reinforcement in the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) matrix to enhance the biodegradability of the polymer composite. ABS/ramie fiber composites were prepared by compression molding with various wt% (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt %) of ramie fibers within the ABS matrix. Subsequently, the biodegradability, water absorption, mechanical properties, viscoelastic behavior, and thermal characteristics of the prepared composites were evaluated. The biodegradation test results demonstrated that there was a positive correlation between the concentrations of fibers in neat ABS. The maximum biodegradation of the composites was 2.56% at 20 wt% ramie fibers in the ABS matrix. Moreover, an increase in the wt% of ramie fiber led to an increase in water absorption. Although the tensile strength and impact strength decreased with increasing fiber content, the tensile modulus of the ABS/ramie fiber composites initially increased up to 5 wt% fiber and then started decreasing, and the natural fibers in ABS reduced the viscoelastic properties. The objective of developing ABS/ramie fiber composites is to utilize them as environmentally sustainable materials in automotive manufacturing industry. Schematic of biodegradable composite preparation and characterizations. image