Title: Surface treatment to improve water repellence and compatibility of natural fiber with polymer matrix: Recent advancement

Abstract

Because of rising levels of environmental awareness and diminishing oil supplies, numerous efforts have been made to replace synthetic fibres in fiber-reinforced composites with natural fibres reinforced composites. This is in response to the fact that the world requires a greater quantity of materials that are less harmful to the environment. Numerous researchers around the world have been inspired to investigate the potential applications of natural fiber due to their low cost, low density, abundance, and biodegradability. However, natural fibers have a number of drawbacks, some of which include significant mechanical characteristics dispersion, insufficient interfacial interactions with polymeric or cementitious matrices, and excessive moisture absorption, which can lead to swelling and degradation. Other drawbacks include low chemical and fire resistance. As a consequence of this, there is a significant amount of interest in modifying the surface of natural fiber utilising a number of distinct approaches. This article provides an overview of natural fibres, including their characterization and the challenges associated with incorporating natural fibres into polymer matrices. The primary objective of this article is to conduct a literature review on the surface treatments of natural fibres, specifically alkali, silane, acetylation, and benzoylation, which are all utilised to lessen the amount of moisture that the fibres absorb as well as the rate at which the fibres deteriorate. This is done in an effort to counteract the obvious drawbacks of these treatments and effectively employ them in a variety of application domains. There has also been discussion regarding the impact that these surface treatments have on the hydrophilicity, surface chemistry, interface bonding, mechanical characteristics, and thermal performance of natural fibre. In addition, we carried out an exhaustive study of the surface treatment of natural fibre by utilising nanoparticles in order to boost the hydrophobicity of the natural fibre and the interfacial bonding between the natural fibre and the polymer matrix. If successful, this could lead to an increase in the natural fiber's strength as well as its dimensional stability. As a consequence of this, the review article may make an important contribution for researchers who are interested in coating and treating natural fibre to further improve the surface characteristics of the fibre.