Natural Fillers as Potential Modifying Agents for Epoxy Composition: A Review

Epoxy resins as important organic matrices, thanks to their chemical structure and the possibility of modification, have unique properties, which contribute to the fact that these materials have been used in many composite industries for many years. Epoxy resins are repeatedly used in exacting applications due to their exquisite mechanical properties, thermal stability, scratch resistance, and chemical resistance. Moreover, epoxy materials also have really strong resistance to solvents, chemical attacks, and climatic aging. The presented features confirm the fact that there is a constant interest of scientists in the modification of resins and understanding its mechanisms, as well as in the development of these materials to obtain systems with the required properties. Most of the recent studies in the literature are focused on green fillers such as post-agricultural waste powder (cashew nuts powder, coconut shell powder, rice husks, date seed), grass fiber (bamboo fibers), bast/leaf fiber (hemp fibers, banana bark fibers, pineapple leaf), and other natural fibers (waste tea fibers, palm ash) as reinforcement for epoxy resins rather than traditional non-biodegradable fillers due to their sustainability, low cost, wide availability, and the use of waste, which is environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the advantages of natural fillers over traditional fillers are acceptable specific strength and modulus, lightweight, and good biodegradability, which is very desirable nowadays. Therefore, the development and progress of “green products” based on epoxy resin and natural fillers as reinforcements have been increasing. Many uses of natural plant-derived fillers include many plant wastes, such as banana bark, coconut shell, and waste peanut shell, can be found in the literature. Partially biodegradable polymers obtained by using natural fillers and epoxy polymers can successfully reduce the undesirable epoxy and synthetic fiber waste. Additionally, partially biopolymers based on epoxy resins, which will be presented in the paper, are more useful than commercial polymers due to the low cost and improved good thermomechanical properties.