Natural fiber and hybrid fiber thermoplastic composites: Advancements in lightweighting applications

Natural fiber composites and hybrid fiber composites with natural fibers and a small portion of synthetic fibers are gaining momentum in various industry sectors such as automotive, aerospace, construction, sporting goods, and marine applications. The popularity of these composites has resulted mainly from their lightweight, design friendliness, and the awareness towards the sustainable product design. Though hybrid composites with natural fiber and glass fiber combinations have opened up new applications, the authors see the future trend as the composites based on natural fiber and carbon fiber composites, as these composites are very efficient in lightweighting compared to their glass counterparts. The use of unused and inexpensive agricultural residues in making composites can have economic, social, and technological benefits. Further, use of lightweight composites in automotives improves fuel efficiency and has a positive impact on the environment because of emission reduction. Hybrid composites using waste residues and/or recycled carbon fiber could be the next-generation cost-effective material for the lightweighting application.