Evaluation of Woven Hemp-Reinforced Polyfurfuryl Alcohol Resin Composites for High-Performance Natural Fibre Composite Applications
Abstract
The escalating environmental concerns associated with the non-renewable nature of petrochemical-based composite constituents have accelerated the development of sustainable and renewable alternatives. This study evaluates the potential of woven hempreinforced polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA, furan) composites as fully bio-based composite materials. The use of PFA, a fully bio-based resin renowned for its high rigidity and fire-retardant properties, has been hindered by challenges associated with water vapour evolution, acid-catalysed fibre degradation, and porosity formation. Novel woven long hemp fibres were combined with a polyfurfuryl alcohol resin formulated with a mild acid catalyst, while an early-stage venting procedure during compression moulding was investigated to mitigate porosity and fibre degradation. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the venting moments during the moulding cycle. Despite the limited improvement in porosity reduction achieved through the investigated venting strategy, the hemp balanced satin 6/6 fabric–furan composites exhibited commendable stiffness with a maximum modulus of 17.0 ± 0.4 GPa. However, the inherent brittleness of the resin and possibly the presence of fire-retardant fillers limited the tensile strength (a maximum of 71.8 ± 4.2 MPa) and failure strain (a maximum of 0.72 ± 0.07%). The bending properties of neat furan resin produced using an improved curing protocol were comparable to those of conventional thermoset resins, with a modulus of 3.2 ± 0.2 GPa, strength of 110.5 ± 17.3 MPa, and failure strain of 4.1 ± 0.8%. Although several challenges remain, this study demonstrates the potential of natural fibre–furan composites for high-performance natural fibre composite applications and provides guidance for their further development. Future research should focus on optimising venting strategies, avoiding fire retardants to minimise resin brittleness, incorporating matrix tougheners, and enhancing the inherent toughness of the matrix
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BibTeX
@article{koolen2026evaluation,
title = {{Evaluation of Woven Hemp-Reinforced Polyfurfuryl Alcohol Resin Composites for High-Performance Natural Fibre Composite Applications}},
author = {Gilles Koolen and Dharmjeet Madhav and Alexandros Prapavesis and Jens Verbruggen and Xavier Gabrion and Briac Gricout and Willem Bottger and Mark Lepelaar and Vincent Placet and Aart van Vuure},
journal = {Journal of Composites Science},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.3390/jcs10070372},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05785463v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluation of Woven Hemp-Reinforced Polyfurfuryl Alcohol Resin Composites for High-Performance Natural Fibre Composite Applications
AU - Gilles Koolen
AU - Dharmjeet Madhav
AU - Alexandros Prapavesis
AU - Jens Verbruggen
AU - Xavier Gabrion
AU - Briac Gricout
AU - Willem Bottger
AU - Mark Lepelaar
AU - Vincent Placet
AU - Aart van Vuure
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/15
JO - Journal of Composites Science
DO - 10.3390/jcs10070372
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05785463v1
AB - The escalating environmental concerns associated with the non-renewable nature of petrochemical-based composite constituents have accelerated the development of sustainable and renewable alternatives. This study evaluates the potential of woven hempreinforced polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA, furan) composites as fully bio-based composite materials. The use of PFA, a fully bio-based resin renowned for its high rigidity and fire-retardant properties, has been hindered by challenges associated with water vapour evolution, acid-catalysed fibre degradation, and porosity formation. Novel woven long hemp fibres were combined with a polyfurfuryl alcohol resin formulated with a mild acid catalyst, while an early-stage venting procedure during compression moulding was investigated to mitigate porosity and fibre degradation. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the venting moments during the moulding cycle. Despite the limited improvement in porosity reduction achieved through the investigated venting strategy, the hemp balanced satin 6/6 fabric–furan composites exhibited commendable stiffness with a maximum modulus of 17.0 ± 0.4 GPa. However, the inherent brittleness of the resin and possibly the presence of fire-retardant fillers limited the tensile strength (a maximum of 71.8 ± 4.2 MPa) and failure strain (a maximum of 0.72 ± 0.07%). The bending properties of neat furan resin produced using an improved curing protocol were comparable to those of conventional thermoset resins, with a modulus of 3.2 ± 0.2 GPa, strength of 110.5 ± 17.3 MPa, and failure strain of 4.1 ± 0.8%. Although several challenges remain, this study demonstrates the potential of natural fibre–furan composites for high-performance natural fibre composite applications and provides guidance for their further development. Future research should focus on optimising venting strategies, avoiding fire retardants to minimise resin brittleness, incorporating matrix tougheners, and enhancing the inherent toughness of the matrix
SN - 2504-477X
ER -