Environment aging of lignocellulosic fibers and their composites: Visual, mechanical, and microstructural aspects.

The current experimental investigation reports the performance of intra-hybrid woven jute-sisal lignocellulosic fibers, and their polypropylene composites subjected to different aging conditions (distilled water, vegetable oil, and alkali solution) for a prolonged time of 6 months. The effect of different aging mediums on chemical composition of fibers, such as, variation in cellulose and hemicellulose content was analyzed to understand the degradation mechanisms and their structure property relationship established. Significant degradation in mechanical properties was observed with exposure to alkali followed by water mediums due to degradation of fibers and thereby results in poor interfacial characteristics, while sustained durability in terms of mechanical properties was observed with oil-based aging.