{
  "abstract": "The development of sustainable thermoplastic composites requires impregnation strategies capable of over- coming the high viscosity of molten polymers while preserving natural-fibre reinforcements. In this study, continuous flax/rPET thermoplastic tapes were manufactured through a capillary-driven solvent-based impreg- nation process in which post-consumer PET was dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and precipitated within flax reinforcements. The interfacial and processing mechanisms were investigated through thermo- gravimetric analysis, surface-energy measurements, surface-tension characterization, capillary wicking tests and tensile testing. The two flax reinforcements exhibited different apparent surface energies, with values of 63.6 ± 6 and 55.9 ± 13 mN/m for the 500 TEX and 600 TEX reinforcements, respectively. Capillary- rise experiments yielded mean apparent advancing contact angles of 59.8 ± 14.3◦ and 69.4 ± 6.6◦, respectively, indicating a tendency towards more favourable wetting for the 500 TEX reinforcement, although the difference was not statistically significant. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the flax-associated degradation peak remained essentially unchanged under nitrogen after tape manufacturing, while under oxygen it shifted from approximately 335.0 ◦C for pristine flax to 376.4 ◦C in the flax/rPET tapes. After PET incorporation, the apparent tensile responses of the two tapes became comparable, with RaidTEX values of 6.67 ± 0.46 and 5.59 ± 0.58 cN/TEX for the 500 TEX and 600 TEX tapes, respectively. These results demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing flax/rPET thermoplastic tapes by solvent-assisted capillary impregnation and highlight the combined influence of fibre surface properties, reinforcement architecture and impregnation behaviour on the resulting tape performance.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Élise Mathouillot"
    },
    {
      "name": "Monica Francesca Pucci"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pierre-Jacques Liotier"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cf3rp5xehcw29.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.jcomc.2026.100826",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "cf3rp5xehcw29",
  "issns": [
    "2666-6820"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://imt-mines-ales.hal.science/hal-05802213v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.chim"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "1.chim.mate"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2507|Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220435547",
  "pdf_url": "https://imt-mines-ales.hal.science/hal-05802213/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cf3rp5xehcw29.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:58Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05802213",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://imt-mines-ales.hal.science/hal-05802213v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "hal:1.chim.mate",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Development of flax/rPET thermoplastic tapes: Interfacial phenomena, impregnation behaviour and mechanical performance",
  "title_text": "Development of flax/rPET thermoplastic tapes: Interfacial phenomena, impregnation behaviour and mechanical performance",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cf3rp5xehcw29",
  "venue": "Composites Part C: Open Access",
  "versions": []
}