The effect of argon (Ar) and oxygen (O₂) gases as well as the treatment times on the properties of modified bamboo fibers using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at generated power of 180 W were investigated. The plasma treatment of bamboo fibers with inert gases leads to the generation of ions and radicals on the fiber surface. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed that the functional groups of lignin and hemicellulose were reduced owing to the removal of the amorphous portion of the fibers by plasma etching. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) results in an increased crystallinity percentage. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed the oxygen/carbon (O/C) atomic concentration ratio increased with increasing treatment time. The fiber weight loss percentage increased with increased treatment time. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that partial etching of the fiber surface led to a higher surface roughness and area and that the Ar + O₂ gas plasma treatment provided more surface etching than the Ar gas treatment because of the oxidation reaction of the O₂ plasma. The mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced epoxy (FRE) matrix composites revealed that the F_(tr)RE-Ar (30) samples showed a high tensile strength, whereas the mechanical properties of the F_(tr)RE-Ar + O₂ sample decreased with increased treatment time.

Bamboo cellulose fiber (BF)-reinforced epoxy (EP) composites were fabricated with BF subjected to plasma treatment using argon (Ar), oxygen (O₂), and nitrogen (N₂) gases. Optimal mechanical properties of the EP/BF composites were achieved with BFs subjected to 30 min of plasma treatment using Ar. This is because Ar gas improved the plasma electron density, surface polarity, and BF roughness. Flexural strength and flexural modulus increased with O₂ plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the etching of the fiber surface with Ar gas improved interfacial adhesion. The water contact angle and surface tension of the EP/BF composite improved after 10 min of Ar treatment, owing to the compatibility between the BFs and the EP matrix. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed a reduction in lignin after treatment and the formation of new peaks at 1736 cm⁻¹, which indicated a reaction between epoxy groups of the EP and carbon in the BF backbone. This reaction improved the compatibility, mechanical properties, and water resistance of the composites.

In this study, we investigated the behaviors of epoxy composites reinforced with bamboo (BF) and hemp (HF) fibers. Both fibers were treated using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma for various durations (2.5 to 20 min). Epoxy resin (ER) was mixed with BF or HF with and without plasma treatment. The Fourier-transform infrared spectra of the plasma-treated fibers showed an enhanced peak intensity of carboxyl groups. ER/BF treated for 20 min exhibited a high tensile strength (up to 56.5 MPa), while ER/HF treated for 20 min exhibited a more significant increase in elongation at break (6.4%). Flexural tests indicated that the plasma treatment significantly improved the flexural strength of the hemp composites (up to 62.2 MPa) compared to the bamboo composites. The plasma treatment increased the fiber surface roughness and interfacial bonding in both composites. The thermal stability and wettability were improved by the DBD plasma treatment. The DBD plasma treatment enhanced the interfacial adhesion between fibers and ER matrix, which improved the mechanical, thermal, and wettability properties of the composites.

This study focused on improving the mechanical properties of hemp-fiber-reinforced epoxy (HFRE) composites by modifying the surface of hemp fibers (HFs) using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment. By exposing the fibers to different gas mixtures Ar, Ar+N₂, and Ar+O₂, the surface of the fibers was altered, adding functional groups, increasing surface roughness, and improving crystallinity. The researchers created HFRE composites using both untreated and plasma-treated HF, and then tested their mechanical properties. The results revealed that Ar+O₂ plasma treatment boosted both the tensile strength (by 15.2%) and energy absorption of the composites. To fine-tune the process, the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the most important factors for optimizing the treatment: input power and treatment time. The ideal conditions were found to be 162.63 W of power and 10 min of treatment. These findings highlight the potential of DBD plasma as a reliable method for modifying the surface of hemp fibers, even with changes in the setup or reactor design. Overall, this approach shows great promise for industrial applications, providing an effective way to improve the strength and durability of HFRE composites for a variety of uses.

Antistatic and anti-flame biodegradable polymer composites were developed by melt-blending polybutylene succinate (PBS) with epoxy resin, polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), and MgO particles. The composite films were prepared using a two-roll mill and an extrusion-blown film machine. Plasma and sparking techniques were used to improve the antistatic properties of the composites. The PBS/E1/PBAT/MgO 15% composite exhibited an improvement in V-1 rating of flame retardancy, indicating an enhancement in the flame retardancy of biodegradable composite films. The tensile strength of the PBS/PBAT blend increased from 19 MPa to 25 MPa with the addition of 1% epoxy due to the epoxy reaction increasing compatibility between PBS and PBAT. The PBS/E1/PBAT and PBS/E1/PBAT blends with MgO 0, 0.5, and 1% showed increases in the contact angle to 80.9°, 83.0°, and 85.7°, respectively, because the epoxy improved the reaction between PBS and PBAT via the MgO catalyst effect. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the reaction between the epoxy groups of the epoxy resin and the carboxyl end groups of PBS and PBAT by new peaks at 1246 and 1249 cm⁻¹. Plasma technology (sputtering) presents better antistatic properties than the sparking process because of the high consistency of the metal nanoparticles on the surface. This composite can be applied for electronic devices as sustainable packaging.