Influence of chemical treatment on the properties of banana stem fiber and banana stem fiber/coir hybrid fiber reinforced maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene/low‐density polyethylene composites

Abstract Banana stem fiber (BSF) reinforced low‐density polyethylene (PE) composites were prepared with a hot‐press molding machine in the presence of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP). To achieve better mechanical properties, the fiber was chemically modified by bleaching, alkalization, and acetylation. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the untreated and treated BSF composites were found to increase with increasing fiber loading up to 20%, whereas the maximum Charpy impact strength (IS) and flexural strength (FS) values were seen at 10% fiber loading; these values decreased thereafter. The Young's modulus (YM) values of the BSF composites increased sharply with fiber loading. All of the treated fibers exhibited better mechanical properties than the untreated ones. The acetylated fiber showed higher UTS (44…