Role of Silica Aerogel Concentration in Improving the Thermal Behavior of Sugar Palm Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composites

Abstract

Owing to their low cost, availability, and biodegradability, natural fibers can be suitable alternatives to synthetic fibers. Replacing traditional synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites with natural fiber-reinforced composites can substantially reduce environmental impact by lowering the reliance on non-renewable reinforcements, while still using industrially feasible polymer matrices such as unsaturated polyester. The present study utilised biodegradable reinforcements, sugar palm fiber (SPF) in unsaturated polyester (UPE), and silica aerogel (SA) as a filler material. A range of SA concentrations was tested, and an optimal concentration was identified to achieve the best thermal performance of SPF/UPE composites. The thermal properties were examined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), whereas thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to assess thermal degradation of the samples. DMA results revealed that the best mechanical performance under thermal conditioning was achieved with 3 wt. % SA content. Similarly, the TGA study indicated that the onset temperature of thermal decay was highest in the 3 wt. % SA composites. Under extreme heat exposure, the composite with the highest SA content (5 wt. %) experienced the least decomposition. Across all samples, thermal performance was generally significantly improved compared to the control sample.