Mechanical performance, thermal stability and morphological analysis of date palm fiber reinforced polypropylene composites toward functional bio-products

Sustainable bio-materials are now potential alternatives for synthetic composites to achieve more functional green products. However, the microstructure-performance synergy is critical in such materials. In this work, the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and morphological analysis of the date palm polypropylene composites are investigated. Various reinforcement conditions, chemical treatments, surface topology, thermogravimetric analysis, and its derivative were utilized to explore the relation of the microstructure with the composite performance. Date palm leaflets (DPLs) were treated with sodium hydroxide at various conditions to determine the optimal samples. Morphological analysis was also performed. Results reveal that this treatment improves the tensile strength and modulus of the composites. Moreover, DPL fibers have positive impacts on both tensile and flexural modulus. At 30 wt% of DPL fibers, the fibers scored the highest values. Both TGA and DTG analyses show that DPL fibers can withstand a temperature up to 227 °C. Also, TG-DTG thermograms show that the addition of DPL fibers has enhanced the thermal stability of polypropylene composites. Scanning electron microscope enhanced our understanding of the composite performance trends towards assessing their capabilities for more reliable implementations of more sustainable green products.