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LITHOEN

Composite material

Natural-fibre-reinforced polymer

Also known as natural fibre composite, NFC

A polymer-matrix composite reinforced with natural fibres, in practice plant fibres such as flax, hemp or jute. Because most plant fibres degrade above about 200 °C, the fibre limits which matrices and processes can be used.

Classification

matrix family
POLYMER

How this record is known

3
Settled consensus
Cited as the accepted position of the discipline.

3 of 3 claims on this page cite at least one registered source. Counts describe how each statement is known, not how likely it is to be true.

What Lithoen records

Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.

EstablishedPlant (cellulose-based) fibres in a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer matrix.

Natural fibre composites with structural requirements use plant fibres, whose main structural component is cellulose, in a polymer matrix that may be a thermoplastic such as polypropylene or polyethylene or a thermoset such as unsaturated polyester or epoxy.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source

Evidence: L. 2016 Peer-reviewed

EstablishedHydrophilic fibre against hydrophobic matrix gives poor bonding; treatments and coupling agents improve it.

Plant fibres are hydrophilic and the matrices commonly used with them are hydrophobic, so the fibres bond poorly to the matrix, limiting mechanical performance and moisture resistance; fibre wetting is a precondition for bonding, and physical and chemical fibre treatments and coupling agents are used to strengthen the interface.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source

Evidence: L. 2016 Peer-reviewed

EstablishedFibre degradation above about 200 °C limits matrices and processing temperatures.

Most natural fibres used as reinforcement are thermally unstable above about 200 °C, so the matrix of a natural fibre composite is limited to thermoplastics that soften below that temperature and thermosets that cure below it, and the processing temperature must likewise stay below the point of fibre degradation.

  • precision note: About 200 °C is the source’s general figure for most natural fibres, which it notes can sometimes be processed higher for short periods; it is not a value for any particular fibre.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source

Evidence: L. 2016 Peer-reviewed

In the knowledge graph

Record last updated 2026-10-30. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.