This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.
Prerna,
M Meena,
Priyanka Jha,
Neha Choudhary,
Ashish Kumar Pathak,
Vamsi Krishna Mamidi,
Apparao Thota,
Kirubakaran D,
Prathiba R,
- Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Government Engineering College Vaishali, Chaksikander, Bihar, India
- Professor, Department of Chemistry, R.M.K. Engineering College, Kavaraipettai, Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India
- Assistant Professor, , Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Government Engineering College Vaishali, Chaksikander, Bihar, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Government Engineering College Vaishali, Vaishali, Bihar, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Motihari College of Engineering, Motihari, Bihar, India
- Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Researcher, Department of Chemistry, CICECO—Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universidade de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, St. Joseph’s Institute of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Vel Tech High Tech Dr.Rangarajan Dr.Sakunthala Engineering College, 60 Avadi Alamathi Road,Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
This study developed multifunctional polymer composites based on a PLA/PBAT (Polylactic Acid/ Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)) thermoplastic matrix reinforced with 20 wt.% corn husk fibre (CHF) and functionalized with conductive carbon black (CB) for smart consumer-electronics casings. Alkali treatment modified the lignocellulosic fibre surface, improving fibre–matrix interfacial adhesion and stress transfer within the polymer composite. Thermal characterization showed that the PLA cold-crystallization temperature decreased from 112.5 °C for the unfilled blend to 104.6 °C for treated-fibre composites and to 102.4 °C at 6 wt.% CB, while PLA crystallinity increased from 17.2% to 32.1%. The optimized TCHF-CB4 polymer composite exhibited a tensile strength of 45.9 MPa, tensile modulus of 3.58 GPa, flexural strength of 72.6 MPa, and notched impact strength of 23.8 kJ m⁻². Its 5% mass-loss temperature was 307 °C, confirming adequate thermal stability for melt processing. Electrical resistivity decreased from above 10¹⁰ Ω cm for TCHF20 to 3.4 × 10⁷, 7.8 × 10³, and 4.6 × 10¹ Ω cm at 2, 4, and 6 wt.% CB, respectively, indicating conductive-network percolation near 3–4 wt.% CB. TCHF-CB4 provided the best multifunctional polymer-composite balance, with a gauge factor of 4.8 and approximately 4.3% residual drift after cyclic loading. These results demonstrate a structurally reinforced, thermally processable, electrically responsive polymer composite suitable for integrated self-sensing casing applications. The combined action of treated fibres and conductive filler established reinforcement, crystallization, stiffness, conductivity, and sensing mechanisms.
Keywords: Corn Husk Fibre, Hybrid Composites, Carbon-Black, Structural Self-Sensing, Polylactic Acid
References
1. Sztorch B, Brząkalski D, Pakuła D, Frydrych M, Špitalský Z, Przekop RE. Natural and synthetic polymer fillers for applications in 3D printing—FDM technology area. Solids. 2022;3(3):508-48.
2. Sandanamsamy L, Harun WS, Ishak I, Romlay FR, Kadirgama K, Ramasamy D, et al. A comprehensive review on fused deposition modelling of polylactic acid. Prog Addit Manuf. 2023;8(5):775-99.
3. Aigbodion VS, Okonkwo EG, Akinlabi ET. Eco-friendly polymer composite: state-of-arts, opportunities and challenge. In: Sustainable polymer composites and nanocomposites. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2019. p. 1233-65.
4. Jayanth D, Kumar PS, Nayak GC, Kumar JS, Pal SK, Rajasekar R. A review on biodegradable polymeric materials striving towards the attainment of green environment. J Polym Environ. 2018;26(2):838-65.
5. Boey JY, Lee CK, Tay GS. Factors affecting mechanical properties of reinforced bioplastics: a review. Polymers. 2022;14(18):3737.
6. Samir A, Ashour FH, Hakim AA, Bassyouni M. Recent advances in biodegradable polymers for sustainable applications. npj Mater Degrad. 2022;6(1):68.
7. Asyraf MR, Rafidah M, Azrina A, Razman MR. Dynamic mechanical behaviour of kenaf cellulosic fibre biocomposites: a comprehensive review on chemical treatments. Cellulose. 2021;28(5):2675-95.
8. Jani HR, Essassi FE, Mahbub M, Rahman AS, Tarafder S. FDM based 3D printing of short fiber composites: a comparative review of synthetic and natural fiber composites. Preprint. 2026 Jul. doi:10.31224/7768.
9. Sun Y, Zheng Z, Wang Y, Yang B, Wang J, Mu W. PLA composites reinforced with rice residues or glass fiber—a review of mechanical properties, thermal properties, and biodegradation properties. J Polym Res. 2022;29(10):422.
10. Girisha L, Saravanan R, Kumarasan T, Pitchandi P, Sakthi S, Nanthakumar S, et al. Hemp fibre-reinforced polylactic acid composites: a sustainable material for engineering and industry. In: Polymer composites: fundamentals and applications. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore; 2024. p. 217-48.
11. Ibrahim MI, Sapuan SM, Zainudin ES, Zuhri MY. Potential of using multiscale corn husk fiber as reinforcing filler in cornstarch-based biocomposites. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019;139:596-604.
12. Ibrahim MI, Sapuan SM, Zainudin ES, Zuhri MY. Preparation and characterization of cornhusk/sugar palm fiber reinforced cornstarch-based hybrid composites. J Mater Res Technol. 2020;9(1):200-11.
13. Hasan MH, Islam S, Sajib MS, Rahman GS, Sabur MA, Ahmed AN, et al. A comprehensive study of agricultural waste maize husk as a potential reinforcement in maize fiber/glass fiber hybrid composites. SPE Polym. 2025;6(2):e70000.
14. Kwon HJ, Sunthornvarabhas J, Park JW, Lee JH, Kim HJ, Piyachomkwan K, et al. Tensile properties of kenaf fiber and corn husk flour reinforced poly(lactic acid) hybrid bio-composites: role of aspect ratio of natural fibers. Compos Part B Eng. 2014;56:232-7.
15. Sani A, Inuwa IM, Mustapha HM, Yunana EU, Abubakar M. Tensile, flexural, impact, hardness and structural characterization of coir fiber/maize husk hybrid composites for electrical fittings. Sci World J. 2025;20(1):341-55.
16. Sari NH, Fajrin J, Fudholi A. Characterisation of swellability and compressive and impact strength properties of corn husk fibre composites. Compos Commun. 2020;18:49-54.
17. Youssef AM, El-Gendy A, Kamel S. Evaluation of corn husk fibers reinforced recycled low density polyethylene composites. Mater Chem Phys. 2015;152:26-33.
18. Yuvaraj G, Ramesh M. Mechanical, wear, and hydrophobic properties of silane-treated corn husk fibre and betel nut epoxy composites. Biomass Convers Biorefin. 2023;13(16):15227-34.
19. Balasubramanian E, Subramaniyan K, Sankar SK, Pazhani N. Nanoclay influence on hygrothermal aging of corn husk–glass fiber hybrid composites. J Reinf Plast Compos. 2026;07316844261418344.
20. Sari NH, Suteja S, Sutaryono YA, Sujita S, Syafri E. Evaluation of hybrid corn husk fiber/Hibiscus tiliaceus fiber powders-reinforced coconut shell/polyester composites: effect of volume fraction on mechanical and morphological properties. In: Emerging sustainable and renewable composites. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2024. p. 53-69.
21. Sari NH, Suteja S, Ilyas RA, Syafri E, Indran S. Characterization of the density and mechanical properties of corn husk fiber reinforced polyester composites after exposure to ultraviolet light. Funct Compos Struct. 2021;3(3):034001.
22. Sari NH, Suteja S, Fudholi A, Sutaryono YA, Maskur M, Srisuk R, et al. Evaluation of impact, thermo-physical properties, and morphology of cornhusk fiber-reinforced polyester composites. Polym Compos. 2022;43(5):2771-8.
23. Alomaja JA, Jimoh AA, Joseph OP, Wilson UN. Flexural and tensile properties of chemically treated guinea corn husk-cow hair hybrid fiber reinforced cement composite. Mater Today Proc. 2023;86:77-81.
Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 05 | ||
| Received | 07/09/2026 | |
| Accepted | 12/09/2026 | |
| Published | 14/09/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 7 Days |