Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Md Sefat Khan

Natural fibres have drawn a huge attention nowadays as an alternative functional material. Significance and potential of cellulosic materials serving structural purposes, etc.  are immense in the current global trend exemplifying the fact that researchers are planning to develop satellite made of it. High performance materials developed over the last century have brought a tremendous success in science and technology improving standard of our life. Now it has been essential to study how to replace environmentally harmful materials, for example steels to glass fibres that consume high energy in several phases of manufacturing burdening carbon footprint, with alternatives such as green composite materials i.e., bio-composites keeping utility intact. Lightweight appliances, mostly developed from synthetic-natural fibre composites, have brought fuel efficiency in aerial-vehicles over 20 percent, and added new dimensions in utility. Introduction of nano fibrillated cellulose base composites has widened versatility in applications of natural fibre synthetic polymer composites.

Physical characteristics of polymers is dependent on internal material structures such as molecular weight, crystallinity, and crystal morphology, crosslinking and branching, copolymerisation, plasticisation, molecular orientation, residual stress as well as external environmental or external variables like ambient atmosphere, nature of deformation, thermal history, weathering, time (aging), frequency of stressing. Viscoelastic nature of polymers and composites fabricated from these polymers demonstrates a strong dependence of the mechanical properties on time and temperature. Hence understanding the relationships between structure and properties of polymers is complex posing increased research emphasis in recent years yet is not as well-developed as for ceramics, metals, or alloys.

However, there little could be done to bring about a radical change in fibre properties within our current understanding and technological advancement. Insufficient compatibility of hydrophilic natural fibres with generally hydrophobic polymer matrices at the interface reduces reinforcement, hinders smooth load transfers from the matrix to the fibres.
In this study endeavour, contemporary dissertations on natural fibre composites have been studied, some manoeuvring techniques have been prospected to be tried and interesting findings will be revealed hopefully. It has been well realised that simple manoeuvring techniques bear potentials to alter the characteristics of natural fibre composites significantly which conveys inspiration for future studies.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.