Naturally derived (i.e. not synthetic) and renewable materials are
very intriguing in many applications because they are environmentally
friendly, and naturally available [1,2]. They can promote sustainable agriculture
[3], especially in western Canada with 600,000 to 800,000 ha of
oilseed flax. This can potentially produce 2000 kg/ha of flax straw annually.
This amount is usually thrown away [4].
Among the renewable materials, natural fibers appear very intriguing
for their high specific strength, compostability, and their low cost
[5]. These fibers have been applied to reinforce composite materials
used in structural and semi-structural [6,7] as well as automotive industries
[8]. Natural fibers are also increasingly being used in bio-derived
and bio-inspired materials [9].
Most of the plant natural fibers contain a relatively high cellulose
content ranging from 37% to 78% [10]. These natural cellulosic fibers
are inherently hydrophilic and have a very poor interaction with most
of non-polar polymers. This results in the creation of weak interfaces between
fibers and matrices in addition to non-uniformed dispersion of
the fibers within the matrices [11].
Another drawback of using these plant fibers is their relatively low
processing temperature of less than 200 °C. Natural fibers undergo