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Journal of Polymer & Composites Original Research

Kenaf Reinforced Polyamide Composite Materials: A Systematic Review

  1. Eraaja Rajeshwari Murthy Biomaterials Synthesis Laboratory, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, 16150 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
  2. Mohd Firdaus Yhaya Biomaterials Synthesis Laboratory, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, 16150 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
  3. Johari Yap Abdullah Craniofacial Imaging Laboratory, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, 16150 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
  4. Nurulezah Hasbullah Medical and Basic Dental Sciences Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains, Malaysia Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan

Abstract

Sustainable development has become the global target to prevent exploitation and degradation of our environment in the pursuit for industrial growth. Almost all sectors including engineering, dental, medical, aerospace, etc use synthetic polymers in daily basis. The growing need for sustainable natural alternatives has encouraged research on natural fibres reinforced polymers like kenaf reinforced polyamide composites. Comprehensive evaluation of existing studies is crucial to understand the scope in this field and to advance future research. This systematic review aims to evaluate kenaf reinforced polyamide composites based on mechanical and thermal properties. The review was performed using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). WoS (Web of Science), Scopus, PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were used yielding 1,667 records. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 3 studies were found fit and included in this review. This paper discusses the mechanical properties of kenaf reinforced polyamide composites (Tensile, Flexural and Impact strength), characterisation of composites (Scanning Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and also covers the thermal stability of these composites (Thermogravimetric analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis). It was noticed that the data available on kenaf reinforced polyamide composites were limited as only three studies met the inclusion criteria despite a pool of 1,667 records. The existing studies in this field lack comparative analysis and established standards making cross comparison difficult. It was also observed that there are only limited studies available on the optimisation procedures of the fabricated composites underscoring a significant research gap. This implies the need for systematic evaluation of these studies to encourage more future exploration in this field considering the sustainability of natural resources like kenaf and the growing demand for sustainable alternatives to synthetic polymers in engineering and biomedical sectors.

Keywords

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