Evaluation of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Luffa Cylindrica Reinforced Bio-composites

The development of reinforced composites with natural fibers as a sustainable material has received increased attention due to their biodegradability, eco-friendly, and low-cost characteristics. Luffa cylindrica is a cellulose-rich natural plant fiber with a network structure and can be used as an effective reinforcement for composite materials. Bio-composites are increasingly finding applications in areas such as the automobile sector, acoustic vibration isolation, building, and environmental engineering. It has been observed that the use of luffa fibers in the composite structure results in superior mechanical properties such as low density and high strength and elasticity. Reducing the moisture absorption and increasing the mechanical properties by chemical modification of Luffa fibers surface is very beneficial to utilize Luffa as reinforcement material. In this short review, the mechanical and physical properties of Luffa reinforced bio-composites are presented. The effects of fiber surface treatment on the structure and mechanical properties are also briefly discussed.