Abstract
Natural fibres are attracting attention from researchers for the manufacture of polymer composites due to their eco-friendly nature and sustainability. The hybrid effects of Sisal/sugarcane Bagasse based nanofiller on the physico-mechanical properties of natural rubber matrix have been investigated. In the experiment, nanofiller were prepared from alkaline-peroxide treated sisal fibre and sugarcane bagasse through shear and friction homogenization. The nanofiller were hybridized using a single ordinate loading of 30 parts per hundred rubbers (PPHR) at a varying proportion of 5/25, 10/20, 15/15 PPHR; for the preparation of natural rubber matrix based composite via melt intercalation and compression moulding process. Results showed that sisal nanofiller imparted superior strength property to the hybrid composites compared to Bagasse nanofiller. On the overall, hybrid proportion of 20 PPHR of sisal and 10 PPHR of Bagasse was found to give superior ultimate strength, hardness and abrasion resistance of composites. Therefore, sisal/Bagasse hybrid based rubber composites could have prospects in industrial space.