Investigating the Electrochemical Corrosion Behaviour of Bamboo Fiber-Marine Waste Reinforced Polymer Matrix Hybrid Composites for Light Weight Applications

This study investigates the corrosion behaviour of bamboo-crab shell fortified polymer matrix hybrid composites. Three unique hybrid composites were created utilizing the hand layup approach, with epoxy as the matrix material, 15 wt.% bamboo fibers, and varying quantities (3, 6, and 9 wt. %) of crab shell. Electrochemical corrosion tests were utilized to evaluate the hybrid composite's corrosion behaviour. The testing results reveal that epoxy-15 wt.% bamboo-6 wt.% crab shell (P2) composite has better corrosion resistance than epoxy-15 wt.% bamboo-3 wt.% crab shell (P1) and epoxy-15 wt.% bamboo-9 wt.% crab shell (P3). A potentiodynamic polarization test revealed an icorr value roughly five times lower than P1 and three times lower than P3 composites. Furthermore, the Nyquist plot obtained from the EIS study revealed that the P2 composite has a larger capacity loop than the P1 and P3 composites. It also indicates that the P2 composite is more resistant to corrosion than the other two. The more homogenous distribution of crab shell in P2 composites contributes to their superior corrosion resistance.