Nanoclay influence on hygrothermal aging of corn husk–glass fiber hybrid composites

Abstract

This work investigates the hygrothermal aging behavior of sustainable hybrid composites composed of corn husk, E-glass reinforcement, and epoxy matrix modified with organo-montmorillonite nanoclay (0–2 wt.%). Natural fibers reinforced hybrid composites were exposed to acidic, neutral, and seawater conditions for 60 days, to assess their environmental endurance. Natural fibers were incorporated in various forms included sheet, powder, and fibers. The research reveals the effect of incorporating nanoclay into the epoxy on hygrothermal aging of hybrid composites. Nanoclay additions into epoxy considerably reduced the moisture absorption percentage and decelerating mechanical properties deterioration rate. The sheet-based reinforced composites demonstrated greater long-term retention in aggressive conditions and fiber based composites offered higher initial strength. The study tackles important issues in the durability of natural fiber composites while advancing the value adding of agricultural waste. This work provides tensile properties decay models which offers practical guidance for designing sustainable composites for chemical, marine, and construction applications. In addition, this work provides open avenues for future research on machine learning models to predict durability performance under various environmental conditions.