A novel wood fiber/waterborne epoxy resin composite with high fiber content and performance fabricated by a green and simple process

Developing green and high-strength composites with feasible manufacturing process is desirable for advanced applications in construction, transportation, automotive, aerospace, and so on. A novel green and high-strength wood fiber (WF)/waterborne epoxy resin (WEP) composite with high fiber content, low-cost, and simple processing was proposed in this study. WF was simply and directly mixed with WEP and the mixture was hot-pressed to mold the composite. The optimal tensile and flexural strength of 98 MPa and 155 MPa were achieved at 80% WF content, which were superior to those of traditional WF/EP composites. The interphase thickness of 220 nm of WF/WEP composite was more than twice as high as that of 109 nm of WF/EP composite, which was resulted from the penetration of WEP in the micro-nano structure of WF. Furthermore, the thermal performance of WF/WEP composite was also promoted compared to those of WF/EP composites. This work demonstrated that composites with high WF content could achieve high performance and exhibit significant potential in many applications.HighlightsWood fiber/waterborne epoxy resin composites fabricated by a green and simple process.Optimal mechanical properties were achieved at 80% wood fiber content.WEP penetrated in the micro-nano structure of WF.The composites with high WF content achieve high performance. A novel and simple strategy for preparing the high-performance composites from wood fiber (WF) and waterborne epoxy resin (WEP) was proposed. WF was simply and directly mixed with WEP and the mixture was hot-pressed to form the WF/WEP composites. Overall, with the intelligible interfacial scheme and simple manufacturing process, the WF/WEP composites would provide new opportunities for developing a green and high-performance composite that can be efficiently and commercially produced and environmentally friendly applied in the areas such as furniture and buildings.image