Enhancement of Dynamic and Tribological Characteristics of Epoxy Coating: Eco-friendly and Noval Biodegradable Fillers into Raw Materials

This research examines agricultural wastes that can be used as natural fiber reinforcement in polymer composites. The experiments are conducted with two different mixtures of fiber ratios and with/without coating composites. In the primary mix, three varieties of fibers (Tea leaf, pineapple leaf, and spinifex littoreus) were induced as reinforcement materials in the epoxy matrix. Fibers are abundantly available as agricultural residues in India. A constant 20% silica, consisting of phenolic compounds acting as antioxidants, is added to the reinforcement. It helps improve flammability behavior. MoS2 dip coating is performed on hybrid fibers in the secondary mixture. The research focuses on the before and after dip coating of MoS2 powder material used as an additive to improve tribological and mechanical properties. The tribological properties are identified as varying load, distance, and velocity. The results show that the fiber ratios mainly influence the thermo-mechanical properties, and the MoS2 coating influences the tribology properties of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites. OM analysis is used to examine the fractography behavior of coated samples. Adding 4% (TLF/PLF/SLF) with 20% silica dip-coated material improves the wear properties of the CFRHC2 by 21%, respectively. The high flexural and impact strength achieved compared to the epoxy matrix is 12.32 MPa and 37.3 kJ/m2. This material is suitable for manufacturing products, such as table tennis racquets, writing pads, trays, and switchboards. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.