Evaluation of Agrowaste/Nanoclay/SiO-Based Blended Nanocomposites for Structural Applications: Comparative Physical and Mechanical Properties

Coir pith is one of the most common agricultural wastes in the southern coastal regions of India, where the coconut is important to both the economy and way of life. The primary goals of this endeavour are the development and testing of nanocomposite materials from coir-pith agricultural waste for structural applications. Compression moulding was used to create the composites. The coir pith filler was pre-treated with a 5% NaOH solution for 4 h before manufacturing. The effects of nano silicon dioxide (NS) and nano clay (NC) at various concentrations on the morphological, physical, and mechanical characteristics of coir-based nanocomposite (1.5, 3, and 4.5 wt%) were also looked at. The mechanical characteristics increased the most at 4.5 wt% NS loading and 3 wt% NC loading. The swelling of the composite thickness and water absorption were both reduced by the addition of various nanoparticles. The integration of NS at 1, 3, and 4.5 wt% lowered water absorption after 20 days while also reducing water permeability by 5, 8, and 18.25%, respectively. Comparatively, inclusion at a high concentration (4.5 weight percent) increased moisture content by 3.96% as a result of NC filler agglomeration, but inclusion at 1.5 and 3 weight percent reduced water uptakes by 4.21% and 9.01%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to demonstrate the interactions of the coir pith with polymer matrixes and the effect of NS and NC on adhesion enhancement. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to determine how well the coir pith, NaOH pre-treatment, and nanofillers adhered to one another.