Design and fabrication of advanced Materials obtained from hemp Fibers and sustainable polymers

Abstract

Nowadays, in the frame of sustainability and circular economy, scientific community is focusing on eco- friendly novel materials as valuable alternative of petroleum-based ones. Since the urge of investigating the

fabrication of more sustainable materials as well as of addressing their wide demand in different applications, some natural materials such as hemp fibers are taking a central stage since they are biodegradable, no toxic, non-carcinogenic, recyclable. Compared to synthetic fibers (i.e. glass fibers), natural fibers, such as hemp ones, possess some interesting properties such as low density, eco-friendliness and biodegradability. Moreover, due to their intrinsic drawbacks (i.e. low biological resistance, high flammability, low adhesion properties and high moisture sensitivity), several procedures for modifying hemp fibers have been proposed in the scientific literature. Most of them appeared to be no completely sustainable since the use of toxic solvents or harsh processing conditions. By stating that, this thesis will offer a wide analysis of potential applications of hemp fibers in many industrial fields. The novelty is placed in the design of sustainable modification methodologies aiming to efficiently modify the surface properties of hemp fibers making them a valuable material for the fabrication of eco-friendly materials. So, different modification methodologies will be presented and discussed while the properties of modified hemp fibers will be investigated through spectroscopic, morphological, thermal, mechanical, optical, barrier and magnetic properties analysis.[edited by Author]