Natural fibers are increasingly viewed as sustainable, low-cost, and lightweight alternatives to synthetic fibers in composites, though their variability and lower mechanical properties limit their applications. Interfacial modification through nanomaterial growth on jute and ramie fibers can address these limitations while also imparting multifunctionality and expanding their applications. This study presents the development of low-temperature hydrothermal techniques for synthesizing two types of coatings, hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires on two natural fibers, ramie and jute. The methods are designed to obtain uniform coating while avoiding harsh chemical treatments and high temperatures which may damage natural fibers. Composite materials fabricated from these modified fibers were characterized using nanoindentation and tensile testing. The interfacial modification improved the tensile strength between 22% and 31%, with the highest improvement in mechanical properties observed for HAP nanomodified ramie fibers. There is a similar improvement in nanoindentation hardness measurements. We demonstrated the 3D printing to enhance manufacturability of these nanomodified continuous natural fiber-based composites using a coaxial direct writing based additive manufacturing technique.
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