Natural fibers have been employed as reinforcement filler in composite materials for the automobile industry. Among the natural fibers, the curauá fiber is promising due to its high mechanical resistance associated with low density values. In this work curauá fibers are chemically modified by a conducting polyaniline coating, with the aim of using this new conductive composite as pressure sensors. The composite material obtained was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and optical microscopy. The results demonstrated that the methodology adopted was efficient in forming a partial, but effective, coating of the fiber, thus leading to conducting paths along the whole fiber. The electro-mechanical properties of the fibers were also evaluated and the composites have potential for low cost pressure sensors. Furthermore, the modified fibers had good thermal stability and the partial coating allows the composite to be naturally degraded as an environmentally-friendly material.
Curaua fiber; polyaniline; electrical conductivity; degradability
