Each year, more than 330 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide. The main consumers of plastics are the packaging (40%), building (20%) and automotive (8%) industries, as well as for the manufacture of household appliances. The vast majority of industrial plastics are not biodegradable and, therefore, create environmental problems due to the increase in the amount of solid waste. Studies have been conducted to produce biodegradable materials such as bioplastics to overcome this environmental problem. Bioplastics are defined as materials that are bio-based, biodegradable, or both; they can provide excellent biodegradability and can be used to help alleviate environmental problems. Therefore, this article presents an overview of the introduction of bioplastic materials and classifications, and a comprehensive review of their drawbacks and areas of importance, including basic and applied research, as well as biopolymer mixtures and biocomposites developed in the last decade. At the same time, this article provides insights into the development of bioplastics research to meet the needs of many industries, especially in the packaging industry in Malaysia. This review paper also focuses generally on bioplastic packaging applications such as food and beverage, healthcare, cosmetics, etc.

This paper reviews the tensile properties of bamboo fiber reinforced polymer composites (BFRP). Environmentally friendly bamboo fibers have good mechanical properties, which make them suitable replacements for conventional fibers, such as glass and carbon, in composite materials. Better fiber and matrix interaction results in good interfacial adhesion between fiber/matrix and fewer voids in the composite. Several important factors improve matrix-fiber bonding and enhance the tensile properties of BFRP. Coupling agents, such as maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP), improve the adhesion of bamboo fibers in the polypropylene (PP) matrix. A high percentage of lignin content in bamboo fibers limits fiber separation, which leads to less matrix absorption between fibers. Steam explosion is the best extraction method for bamboo fibers, although an additional mechanically rubbing process is required for fiber separation. Generally, high fiber content results in good composite performance, but at a certain limit, the matrix does not adhere well with a saturated amount of fibers, and the composite tensile strength decreases. However, the tensile modulus of BFRP is not affected by excess fiber content. Hybridization of bamboo with conventional fibers increases the tensile strength of BFRP. The addition of micro/nano-sized bamboo fibrils into the carbon fabric composites slightly enhances composite strength.

In this paper, a review of natural fibers composites used in protective armors for ballistic applications like bulletproof vests is presented. It seeks to compile the results and establish natural fiber composites as an alternative to absolute synthetic composites used for the same application. The review assesses the latest articles under two categories viz. only natural fibers and hybrid composites with natural and synthetic fibers. It covers a range of fibers from flax, basalt, curaua, kenaf, aramid, jute, coir, and hemp. The study systematically classifies the composites based on the ballistic limit they exhibit and the back face signature measured during standardized ballistic testing. In accordance with the results, the findings are compared against standard materials such as Kevlar used in ballistic armors. The hybrid composites are seen to present superior properties in comparison to plain natural fiber composites. Natural fibers provide an ecological and economical alternative to existing composites. The review shows promising results and immense future scope for natural fibers in the area of ballistic applications and they must be actively considered for replacing synthetic fibers in armor.

The aim of this study to analyze the effects of the stacking sequence of kenaf and jute fibers on the tensile and flexural properties of the kenaf/jute hybrid composites. Kenaf/jute/kenaf (K/J/K), jute/kenaf/jute (J/K/J) and neat epoxy (EP) composites were prepared using the hand lay-up technique while maintaining total fiber loading of 30 wt%. Mechanical properties were analyzed by using Instron Universal Testing machines. The obtained results showed that the K/J/K hybrid composites exhibited the highest tensile strength (43.21 MPa) and flexural strength (75.57 MPa) as compared with J/K/J hybrid composites. K/J/K hybrid composites also display better tensile and flexural modulus of 3.60 GPa and 4.63 GPa, respectively, as compared to J/K/J hybrid and neat epoxy composites. The morphological properties of tensile and flexural fracture samples of the hybrid composites were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It’s clear from SEM that fiber pull-out, and matrix cracks occurs in all composites, but K/J/K hybrid composites display better fiber/matrix interfacial bonding. We concluded from this work that layering sequence plays an important role in the mechanical performance of hybrid composites and attributed that fabricated hybrid composites can be used in engineering application such as interiors for aircrafts and automotive.

This study aims to explore the mechanical properties of hybrid glass fiber (GF)/sisal fiber (SF)/chitosan (CTS) composite material for orthopedic long bone plate applications. The GF/SF/CTS hybrid composite possesses a unique sandwich structure and comprises GF/CTS/epoxy as the external layers and SF/CTS/epoxy as the inner layers. The composite plate resembles the human bone structure (spongy internal cancellous matrix and rigid external cortical). The mechanical properties of the prepared hybrid sandwich composites samples were evaluated using tensile, flexural, micro hardness, and compression tests. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images were studied to analyze the failure mechanism of these composite samples. Besides, contact angle (CA) and water absorption tests were conducted using the sessile drop method to examine the wettability properties of the SF/CTS/epoxy and GF/SF/CTS/epoxy composites. Additionally, the porosity of the GF/SF/CTS composite scaffold samples were determined by using the ethanol infiltration method. The mechanical test results show that the GF/SF/CTS hybrid composites exhibit the bending strength of 343 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 146 MPa, and compressive strength of 380 MPa with higher Young’s modulus in the bending tests (21.56 GPa) compared to the tensile (6646 MPa) and compressive modulus (2046 MPa). Wettability study results reveal that the GF/SF/CTS composite scaffolds were hydrophobic (CA = 92.41° ± 1.71°) with less water absorption of 3.436% compared to the SF/CTS composites (6.953%). The SF/CTS composites show a hydrophilic character (CA = 54.28° ± 3.06°). The experimental tests prove that the GF/SF/CTS hybrid composite can be used for orthopedic bone fracture plate applications in future.

The field of bio-inspired design has tremendously transitioned into newer automated methods, yet there are methods being discovered which can elucidate underlying principles in design, materials, and manufacturing. Bio-inspired design aims to translate knowledge from the natural world to the current trends in industry. The recent growth in additive manufacturing (AM)methods has fueled the tremendous growth of bio-inspired products. It has enabled the production of intricate and complicated features notably used in the aerospace industry. Numerous methodologies were adopted to analyse the process of bio-inspired material selection, manufacturing methods, design, and applications. In the current review, different approaches are implemented to utilize bio-inspired designs that have revolutionized the aerospace industry, focusing on AM methods.