Conclusion
Natural fibers are considered as potential replacement for man-made fibers in composite materials.
Although natural fibers have advantages of being low cost and low density, they are not totally free of problems.
A serious problem of natural fibers is their strong polar character which creates incompatibility with most polymer matrices.
Surface treatments, although having a negative impact on economics, are potentially able to overcome the problem of incompatibility.
Chemical treatments can increase the interface adhesion between the fiber and matrix, and decrease the water absorption of fibers.
Therefore, chemical treatments can be considered in modifying the properties of
natural fibers.
Some compounds are known to promote adhesion by chemically coupling the adhesive to the
material, such as sodium hydroxide, silane, acetic acid,acrylic acid, maleated coupling agents, isocyanates,potassium permanganate, peroxide, etc.
Fiber modification methods discussed in this paper have different efficacy in causing adhesion between the matrix and the fiber.
Yet most chemical treatments have achieved various levels of success in improving fiber strength,fiber fitness and fiber–matrix adhesion in natural fiber reinforced composites.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Saskatchewan Flax Development Board.