caa a22 4500 467886504 CHVBK 20180406152736.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e20061001xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10924-006-0030-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10924-006-0030-7 Fungal-modification of Natural Fibers: A Novel Method of Treating Natural Fibers for Composite Reinforcement [Elektronische Daten] [Deepaksh Gulati, Mohini Sain] Growing interest in green products has provided fresh impetus to the research in the field of renewable materials. Plant fibers are not only renewable but also light in weight and low in cost. Polymer composites manufactured using them find applications in diverse fields such as automobiles, housing, and furniture. However, their hydrophilic nature and inadequate adhesion with matrix limits their use in high performance applications. In this study, a novel method for improving adhesion characteristics of natural fibers has been developed. This method is carried out by treating hemp fibers with a fungus: Ophiostoma ulmi, obtained from elm tree infected with Dutch elm disease. Treated fibers showed improved acid-base characteristics and resistance to moisture. Improved acid-base interactions between fiber and resin are expected to improve the interfacial adhesion, whereas improved moisture resistance would benefit the durability of the composites. Finally, composites were prepared using untreated/treated fibers and unsaturated polyester resin. Composites with treated fibers showed slightly better mechanical properties, which is most probably due to improved interfacial adhesion. Springer Science+Business Media, Inc., 2006 Natural fiber nationallicence Composite nationallicence Interface nationallicence Acid-base characteristics nationallicence Inverse gas chromatography nationallicence Gulati Deepaksh Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada aut Sain Mohini Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada aut Journal of Polymers and the Environment Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers; http://www.springer-ny.com 14/4(2006-10-01), 347-352 1566-2543 14:4<347 2006 14 10924 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-006-0030-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-006-0030-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gulati Deepaksh Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Sain Mohini Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Journal of Polymers and the Environment Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers; http://www.springer-ny.com 14/4(2006-10-01), 347-352 1566-2543 14:4<347 2006 14 10924 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer