A review on natural fiber composites: Polymer matrices, fiber surface treatments, fabrication methods, properties, and applications

Abstract High performance and durability are essential for goods to satisfy the needs of the expanding worldwide market. Wood plastic composites (WPCs) are materials made from a combination of wood, polymers, and additives. WPCs can be extruded, injected, compressed, or thermoformed. Presently, WPCs are manufactured using sophisticated processes including as laser sintering, fused layer modeling, and additive manufacturing. Properly managing the melt temperature and pressure is crucial in the manufacturing process of WPCs to ensure effective polymer incorporation. Natural fibers have distinct benefits for polymer composites, but they also have some serious drawbacks, like lower strength properties—especially…