Types of Composite Materials

Types of Composite Materials

Composite materials are suitable substitutes for aluminum, titanium and steel in some applications because of their light weight, good performance, low carbon and low energy consumption. Composite materials can be divided into textile composites, green composites, biocomposites and hybrid composites.

Composites have excellent properties such as environmental friendliness, degradability and non-toxicity, which has attracted widespread attention. In addition, the production of materials that pollute and cause serious harm to the environment is also subject to strict legal control. The industry is constantly seeking new ways to improve the quality and output of raw materials while reducing costs. From 2017 to 2025, the composite resin market has developed rapidly, with the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa leading the world. Polymer composites have been widely used in the automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging and other industries; and the market is developing rapidly. At present, artificial fibers such as glass fiber and carbon fiber have been widely used in polymer composites to improve their comprehensive performance. However, if one or more fiber-reinforced polymer materials are combined together, they are called "hybrid composites".

Composite material classification:

Generally speaking, there are four types of composite materials: - Textile composites - Biocomposites - Green composites - Hybrid composites

1. Textile composites

Textile composites (also known as fiber reinforced composites) have been widely used in the past few decades due to their unique properties. Various types of reinforcement materials in polymer composites are textile materials, especially polymer composites reinforced with fiber reinforcements. Fiber reinforcements have been explored since the advent of composite materials. These reinforcing fibers include fibers (short fibers and long fibers), yarns and fabrics. Fabrics are divided into woven, non-woven and knitted structures. Among all types of textile reinforcements, woven fabrics are the most popular because they are easier to handle and have good tensile strength in both the warp and weft directions. The ancient Egyptians used natural fibers as a composite material. They mixed Nile mud with straw to make bricks and produced stronger bricks after baking in the sun. Hemp, flax, ramie, bamboo, sisal, leaf fibers, seed fibers, grass fibers or wood fibers are all suitable for making composites. Textile composites are usually used because of their high strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness-to-weight ratio.

2. Biocomposites

Biocomposites are made by combining a polymer matrix and natural fibers, which have different properties. However, when combined, the resulting material has superior properties compared to the individual polymer matrix and natural fibers, and they are suitable for a variety of technological applications. The polymer matrix provides the structure and shape of the material, while the natural fibers enhance the properties (tensile, bending, impact, etc.) of the final biocomposite. Biocomposites are an emerging field, and a range of polymers have been studied as matrices for natural fiber reinforcement. Polymers are synthesized from fossil fuels, bio-based resources, or a combination of both. Synthetic polymers include PP, polyethylene, phenols, and polystyrene. To date, most biocomposites are made from synthetic polymers, which have a wide range of applications due to their low production cost, easy processing, light weight, and ability to be molded into different shapes. Synthetic polymers reinforced with natural fibers have been widely used in packaging and automotive applications.

3. Green Composites

The development of green composites made from 100% bio-based materials has been a hot topic of research. These materials have several advantages, such as low cost, acceptable biodegradation, low density, high aspect ratio, and high strength, making them one of the high-performance materials. The driving forces behind the development of 100% green composites are the growing concern about the negative impact of synthetic polymers and synthetic polymer-based composites on the environment, limited fossil fuel resources and the lack of understanding of the properties of natural fibers that improve the performance of composites. Various natural fibers have been used to produce green composites, including flax, sisal, hemp, cotton, hemp and agave. They are abundantly available and renewable. Agricultural byproducts such as bagasse and corn stalks have also been used as reinforcement materials.

4. Hybrid Composites

Hybrid composites are a polymer material reinforced with two or more fibers or fillers, or a polymer material reinforced with one or more fibers or fillers. The results show that the tensile strength of the composite system is better than that of a single reinforcement. When there are many types of fillers, one filler can play a complementary role, but its disadvantage is that one filler is expensive and has a high tensile modulus, while the other filler is relatively cheap and has a low tensile modulus. However, in synthetic and natural fiber reinforced polymer composites, the addition of synthetic fibers helps to reduce moisture absorption and improve performance, while natural fibers can reduce the carbon footprint and the price of the final product. The performance of hybrid composites depends on a variety of factors; these factors include fiber loading, fiber arrangement and orientation, fiber dispersion, fiber size, and interfacial adhesion between the fiber and the polymer matrix or matrix. Hybridization can be achieved by combining synthetic fibers with synthetic fibers, synthetic fibers with natural fibers, natural fibers with natural fibers, and by adding nanofillers (such as nanoclays, carbon nanotubes, graphite flakes, and metal oxide nanoparticles) to reinforced polymer composites.

Conclusion

With the rapid development of composite technology, YINSU Flame Retardant Company, with its deep accumulation in the field of materials science, has launched three high-performance flame retardants to meet the growing safety needs. These products not only play a key role in improving the fire resistance of materials, but also promote the composite industry to a safer and more environmentally friendly direction. High-content red phosphorus flame retardants FRP-750A and FRP-950X, as well as composite antimony T3, are the results of YINSU's careful research and development for different application scenarios. They can not only provide excellent flame retardant effects for textile, bio, green and hybrid composites, but also ensure that the materials meet higher safety standards while maintaining their original excellent performance. Let us witness how YINSU leads the composite materials industry towards a more sustainable and safer future with its innovative products.