Bamboo-Fiber-Reinforced Thermoset and Thermoplastic Polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication, and Potential Applications

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The submitted manuscript provides a literature survey of the published literature on bamboo-based polymer composites. In the last years, several reviews on the same topic have been published, therefore the Authors should highlight the added value of their paper as compared to the already published literature. Furthermore, the submitted review is a list of descriptions of different studies and lacks a comprehensive and critical analysis or compilation of the information; therefore, the Authors should made a comparison between the different discussed systems, also adding some Figures from cited works clarifying the reported properties and/or mechanisms. 

 

Author Response

Dear editor,

Thanks for your letter and the thoughtful comments from the referees about our paper entitled “Bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication and Potential Applications” polymers-1565441. We carefully analysed all the comments and these comments are very valuable and helpful for perfecting and modifying our manuscript, and also have important guiding significance for our research. Therefore, we carefully checked the manuscript and revised it according to each comment. Consequently, we feel that our manuscript is substantially strengthened. Revised portion are marked using light blue background in the revised manuscript. The detailed corrections in the paper and the responses to the reviewer’s comments are as the following list of revisions. We also had sent this manuscript to be proofread by well-known proof-reader, in order to achieve the high quality of the journal. The certificate of proofreading is attached below:

We look forward to your positive response. If you have any question about this paper, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We hope these revisions will make it more acceptable for publication. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

A.M. RADZI

Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

 

Reviewer comments 1

The submitted manuscript provides a literature survey of the published literature on bamboo-based polymer composites. In the last years, several reviews on the same topic have been published, therefore the Authors should highlight the added value of their paper as compared to the already published literature. Furthermore, the submitted review is a list of descriptions of different studies and lacks a comprehensive and critical analysis or compilation of the information; therefore, the Authors should made a comparison between the different discussed systems, also adding some Figures from cited works clarifying the reported properties and/or mechanisms. 

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.We had highlighted the added value of our paper as compared to the published literature.

Nowadays, many researchers have studied bamboo to be extracted into fibre and made this fibre as reinforced material in the polymer matrix. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties of bamboo-based composites have been investigated in a few previous review studies, which summarize in Table 1. The selection of bamboo as a reinforcement is due to its good mechanical and thermal properties, extraction and fibre treatment, low cost, environment friendly and makes it an option to be used as a product in the industry [20-21]. Bamboo fibre is identified to have strength, stiffness, contains microfibrillar angles and thick cell walls that are considered nature glass fibre [22–24].

Table 1: Recently review studies in bamboo-based composites.

Year	Reference	Remark	Processing technique	Water absorption	Tensile strength	Flexural strength	Impact strength	Thermal test	Hybrid composites
2017	Kenan Song, Xiaofeng Ren and Longhe Zhang [25]	Study on mechanical/thermal and characteristics performance	√		√	√		√	√
2017	Calvin Yap Thai Ming, Wong King Jye and Haris Ahmad Israr Ahmad [26]	Study on mechanical performacnce			√	√	√
2018	Jan E.G. van Dam, H. Wolter Elbersen and Claudia M. Daza Montaño [27]	Focus on the potential bamboo in biobase economy	√
2018	Yıldızhan et al., [28]	Study on the mechanical and chemical properties			√
2018	S A H Roslan, Z A Rasid and M Z Hassan [29]	Study on fibre extraction and mechanical properties	√		√	√
2018	Pramudi et al.,[30]	Study on parameter and tensile behaviour			√
2022	Jawaid et al., [31]	Investigated on bamboo and kenaf reinforced nanocomposites on mechanical and thermal performance		√	√	√			√

 

In addition, the content of bamboo has 60% cellulose and lignin, and the microfibril angle is between 2-10°. Therefore, polymer composites combined with bamboo fibre can compete with conventional fibres and it also has the potential to be used as a product in the manufacturing industry sectors such as automotive parts, furniture, building and packaging.

This review aims to focus on the trends of the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer, hybrid composites and their application. In addition, comprehensive research in terms of engineering, types, cultivation and uses of bamboo fibre, and realize the capabilities of this fibre in the manufacturing industry.

 

Reviewer 2

 Review

Bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication and Potential Applications

I think interesting content is processed in the review, but due to English formulations and lack of structure, it’s difficult to read (for me).

In my opinion, the introduction 1.0 is not of sufficient academic level to be published in MPDI journals.

In the following paragraphs, I miss the link between the chemical structure of bamboo and the described mechanical and thermal properties. I have difficulties in estimating the scientific soundness, due to a false start in the introduction.

Nevertheless, I like the reflection in paragraph 3.0. Unfortunately, paragraph 4 seems to be missing, and in the conclusions 5.0, I think the impact on recycling should be nuanced.

In this form, the manuscript is not acceptable for MDPI audience.

Please find some comments and suggestions below. I did not include all the remarks I made during reading the manuscript.

 

Abstract

Some sentences in the abstract need to be reformulated.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

1.0 Introduction

1. Introduction 1.0 is not of sufficient academic level to be published in MPDI journals.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2. It’s not clear what’s meant by ‘polymers replacing conventional materials’

Removed. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

3. Idem: ‘these materials are easy to find, low cost, easy to design and increase productivity when compared to other conventional materials’ which materials are meant?? Synthetic polymers vs metals???

This composite is one of the alternatives to produce environmentally friendly materials by combining polymers and natural fibres for use in various products applications. The use of these natural fibres has a high impact on the manufacturing industry as these materials are readily available, low cost, easy to design and increase productivity.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

4. ‘Petrochemical polymers are difficult to dissolve’???

Recently, the increasing use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing. With the increasing use of plastics among us, plastic disposal has become a major issue of environmental pollution and in addition, limited fossil fuel resources make many researchers look for alternative methods to reduce the use of petroleum-based matrices [2–5]. Therefore, the solution to this problem is to combine both materials using polymers and natural fibres. Furthermore, the use of natural resources material is to reduce the abundance of waste and prevent open burning by farmers leading to air pollution [6-7].

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

5. ‘The problem for dissolving polymers is to combine both materials (which?) using polymers and natural fibres’?

The solution to this problem is to combine both materials using polymers and natural fibres Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

6. What are ‘friendly products’ ??

Removed. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

7. ‘In addition, the use of natural resources material is to reduce the use of wood, abundance and prevent open burning by farmers leading to air pollution.’ I am not sure what’s the meaning of this sentence.

In addition, the use of natural resources material is to reduce the abundance waste and prevent open burning by farmers leading to air pollution. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

8. ‘Therefore’, in line 46 misses a capital.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

9. ‘Table 2 shows the natural fibre such as mechanical and physical properties.’ ?? Please first introduce the chemical structure of natural fibers, before their properties.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

10. ‘Exploration of technologies using bamboo is still declining’. Is that correct?

Removed statement. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

11. ‘The presence of these special properties makes bamboo fibre for reinforcing fibre in the polymer matrix.’ ?

Removed statement. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

12. Nevertheless, I like the reflection in paragraph 3.0. Unfortunately, paragraph 4 seems to be missing, and in the conclusions 5.0,

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

1.1 Bamboo plant

What is ‘B. vulgaris and G. scortechinii’? (okay, explained in 2.0)

… type of B. vulgaris (Bambusa vulgaris) and G. scortechinii (Gigantocchloa scortechinii)..

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

1.2 The anatomy of the bamboo plant.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2.0 Bamboo plantation in Malaysia

2.1 Bamboo-based polymer composites

‘Composite materials are one of the growing materials’

 

‘In general, the selection of natural resources is because it is more environmentally friendly compared to conventional products’

… conventional fibres (glass and carbon fibre)..

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2.2 Bamboo reinforced polymer thermoplastic composites.

‘Many researcher studies and tries to see the potential of bamboo fibre, solving various major problems such as environmental problems, recyclability, wettability, liability and affordability on the bamboo fibres.’

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

‘Table 4 shows the researcher who studied the combination …’ ??

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

‘Table 5 shows bamboo fibres reinforced polymer composites on their properties’ ??

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

Line 214: ‘Differential Filtering Calorimetry (DSC)’ ?

Etc.

Differential ScanningCalorimetry (DSC). Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

 2.3 Bamboo reinforced polymer thermosetting composites.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2.4 Bamboo fibre reinforced polymer hybrid composites (no point)

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

3.0 Economic Value, Challenges and Future Perspective for Bamboo-based Composites

Fig. 4: typo in ‘challanges’

Reflection is interesting.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

5. Conclusions

‘Its ability to compete with conventional materials and addition can also replace petroleum-based composite materials in various applications’ ??

Remove. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

‘The availability of these eco-friendly materials makes it easier to recycle and reduces waste’. I don’t agree with this. Fabricating composites of synthetic polymers and natural fibers will probably make the recycling process more difficult.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

I had some difficulties in reading and understanding the main message of the review. Due to many strange English formulations, repetitions, and lack of structure, I have missed the scientific content of this interesting subject.

Please find some comments attached.

I suppose you can substantially improve the manuscript.

All the best!

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear editor,

Thanks for your letter and the thoughtful comments from the referees about our paper entitled “Bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication and Potential Applications” polymers-1565441. We carefully analysed all the comments and these comments are very valuable and helpful for perfecting and modifying our manuscript, and also have important guiding significance for our research. Therefore, we carefully checked the manuscript and revised it according to each comment. Consequently, we feel that our manuscript is substantially strengthened. Revised portion are marked using light blue background in the revised manuscript. The detailed corrections in the paper and the responses to the reviewer’s comments are as the following list of revisions. We also had sent this manuscript to be proofread by well-known proof-reader, in order to achieve the high quality of the journal. The certificate of proofreading is attached below:

We look forward to your positive response. If you have any question about this paper, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We hope these revisions will make it more acceptable for publication. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

A.M. RADZI

Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

 

Reviewer comments 1

The submitted manuscript provides a literature survey of the published literature on bamboo-based polymer composites. In the last years, several reviews on the same topic have been published, therefore the Authors should highlight the added value of their paper as compared to the already published literature. Furthermore, the submitted review is a list of descriptions of different studies and lacks a comprehensive and critical analysis or compilation of the information; therefore, the Authors should made a comparison between the different discussed systems, also adding some Figures from cited works clarifying the reported properties and/or mechanisms. 

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.We had highlighted the added value of our paper as compared to the published literature.

Nowadays, many researchers have studied bamboo to be extracted into fibre and made this fibre as reinforced material in the polymer matrix. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties of bamboo-based composites have been investigated in a few previous review studies, which summarize in Table 1. The selection of bamboo as a reinforcement is due to its good mechanical and thermal properties, extraction and fibre treatment, low cost, environment friendly and makes it an option to be used as a product in the industry [20-21]. Bamboo fibre is identified to have strength, stiffness, contains microfibrillar angles and thick cell walls that are considered nature glass fibre [22–24].

Table 1: Recently review studies in bamboo-based composites.

Year	Reference	Remark	Processing technique	Water absorption	Tensile strength	Flexural strength	Impact strength	Thermal test	Hybrid composites
2017	Kenan Song, Xiaofeng Ren and Longhe Zhang [25]	Study on mechanical/thermal and characteristics performance	√		√	√		√	√
2017	Calvin Yap Thai Ming, Wong King Jye and Haris Ahmad Israr Ahmad [26]	Study on mechanical performacnce			√	√	√
2018	Jan E.G. van Dam, H. Wolter Elbersen and Claudia M. Daza Montaño [27]	Focus on the potential bamboo in biobase economy	√
2018	Yıldızhan et al., [28]	Study on the mechanical and chemical properties			√
2018	S A H Roslan, Z A Rasid and M Z Hassan [29]	Study on fibre extraction and mechanical properties	√		√	√
2018	Pramudi et al.,[30]	Study on parameter and tensile behaviour			√
2022	Jawaid et al., [31]	Investigated on bamboo and kenaf reinforced nanocomposites on mechanical and thermal performance		√	√	√			√

 

In addition, the content of bamboo has 60% cellulose and lignin, and the microfibril angle is between 2-10°. Therefore, polymer composites combined with bamboo fibre can compete with conventional fibres and it also has the potential to be used as a product in the manufacturing industry sectors such as automotive parts, furniture, building and packaging.

This review aims to focus on the trends of the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer, hybrid composites and their application. In addition, comprehensive research in terms of engineering, types, cultivation and uses of bamboo fibre, and realize the capabilities of this fibre in the manufacturing industry.

 

Reviewer 2

 Review

Bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication and Potential Applications

I think interesting content is processed in the review, but due to English formulations and lack of structure, it’s difficult to read (for me).

In my opinion, the introduction 1.0 is not of sufficient academic level to be published in MPDI journals.

In the following paragraphs, I miss the link between the chemical structure of bamboo and the described mechanical and thermal properties. I have difficulties in estimating the scientific soundness, due to a false start in the introduction.

Nevertheless, I like the reflection in paragraph 3.0. Unfortunately, paragraph 4 seems to be missing, and in the conclusions 5.0, I think the impact on recycling should be nuanced.

In this form, the manuscript is not acceptable for MDPI audience.

Please find some comments and suggestions below. I did not include all the remarks I made during reading the manuscript.

 

Abstract

Some sentences in the abstract need to be reformulated.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

1.0 Introduction

1. Introduction 1.0 is not of sufficient academic level to be published in MPDI journals.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2. It’s not clear what’s meant by ‘polymers replacing conventional materials’

Removed. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

3. Idem: ‘these materials are easy to find, low cost, easy to design and increase productivity when compared to other conventional materials’ which materials are meant?? Synthetic polymers vs metals???

This composite is one of the alternatives to produce environmentally friendly materials by combining polymers and natural fibres for use in various products applications. The use of these natural fibres has a high impact on the manufacturing industry as these materials are readily available, low cost, easy to design and increase productivity.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

4. ‘Petrochemical polymers are difficult to dissolve’???

Recently, the increasing use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing. With the increasing use of plastics among us, plastic disposal has become a major issue of environmental pollution and in addition, limited fossil fuel resources make many researchers look for alternative methods to reduce the use of petroleum-based matrices [2–5]. Therefore, the solution to this problem is to combine both materials using polymers and natural fibres. Furthermore, the use of natural resources material is to reduce the abundance of waste and prevent open burning by farmers leading to air pollution [6-7].

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

5. ‘The problem for dissolving polymers is to combine both materials (which?) using polymers and natural fibres’?

The solution to this problem is to combine both materials using polymers and natural fibres Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

6. What are ‘friendly products’ ??

Removed. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

7. ‘In addition, the use of natural resources material is to reduce the use of wood, abundance and prevent open burning by farmers leading to air pollution.’ I am not sure what’s the meaning of this sentence.

In addition, the use of natural resources material is to reduce the abundance waste and prevent open burning by farmers leading to air pollution. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

8. ‘Therefore’, in line 46 misses a capital.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

9. ‘Table 2 shows the natural fibre such as mechanical and physical properties.’ ?? Please first introduce the chemical structure of natural fibers, before their properties.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

10. ‘Exploration of technologies using bamboo is still declining’. Is that correct?

Removed statement. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

11. ‘The presence of these special properties makes bamboo fibre for reinforcing fibre in the polymer matrix.’ ?

Removed statement. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

12. Nevertheless, I like the reflection in paragraph 3.0. Unfortunately, paragraph 4 seems to be missing, and in the conclusions 5.0,

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

1.1 Bamboo plant

What is ‘B. vulgaris and G. scortechinii’? (okay, explained in 2.0)

… type of B. vulgaris (Bambusa vulgaris) and G. scortechinii (Gigantocchloa scortechinii)..

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

1.2 The anatomy of the bamboo plant.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2.0 Bamboo plantation in Malaysia

2.1 Bamboo-based polymer composites

‘Composite materials are one of the growing materials’

 

‘In general, the selection of natural resources is because it is more environmentally friendly compared to conventional products’

… conventional fibres (glass and carbon fibre)..

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2.2 Bamboo reinforced polymer thermoplastic composites.

‘Many researcher studies and tries to see the potential of bamboo fibre, solving various major problems such as environmental problems, recyclability, wettability, liability and affordability on the bamboo fibres.’

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

‘Table 4 shows the researcher who studied the combination …’ ??

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

‘Table 5 shows bamboo fibres reinforced polymer composites on their properties’ ??

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

Line 214: ‘Differential Filtering Calorimetry (DSC)’ ?

Etc.

Differential ScanningCalorimetry (DSC). Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

 2.3 Bamboo reinforced polymer thermosetting composites.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

2.4 Bamboo fibre reinforced polymer hybrid composites (no point)

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

3.0 Economic Value, Challenges and Future Perspective for Bamboo-based Composites

Fig. 4: typo in ‘challanges’

Reflection is interesting.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

5. Conclusions

‘Its ability to compete with conventional materials and addition can also replace petroleum-based composite materials in various applications’ ??

Remove. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

‘The availability of these eco-friendly materials makes it easier to recycle and reduces waste’. I don’t agree with this. Fabricating composites of synthetic polymers and natural fibers will probably make the recycling process more difficult.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

I suggest the publication of the manuscript as it stands, since the Authors revised it following the suggestions of the Reviewers

Author Response

 

Dear editor,

 

Thanks for your letter and the thoughtful comments from the referees about our paper entitled “Bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication and Potential Applications” polymers-1565441. We carefully analysed all the comments and these comments are very valuable and helpful for perfecting and modifying our manuscript, and also have important guiding significance for our research. Therefore, we carefully checked the manuscript and revised it according to each comment. Revised portions are using ‘track changes’ in the revised manuscript. The previous revisions are using ‘blue colour’ font. The detailed corrections in the paper and the responses to the reviewer’s comments are as the following list of revisions.

 

 

However, a general conclusion of the authors' analysis on the respective matter in paragraphs 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 is still missing. 

 

 2.2.. Bamboo is a fast-growing natural plant and it has strong fibres and can be applied to various products. The combination of bamboo fibre with thermoplastic such as High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP) and Polypropylene (PP) with various sizes and fibre loading bamboo fibres shows improvement of their mechanical properties up to optimum value. Therefore, the characteristics of size and fibre content are closely related to obtaining good mechanical properties of the bamboo composite.  

 

2.3… From previous research, the ability of bamboo fibre is a raw material in the manufacturing industry that can be made and produced in a variety of products as a reinforcing material in the thermoset. Similar to thermoplastic polymer, thermosets properties such as epoxy, phenolic, polyester etc. where the characteristics of size, uniformity and fibre content are closely related to mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strength)  of the bamboo composite.

 

Therefore, the improvement of chemical treatment for thermal stability depends on the temperature and immersion time, the type of treatment and chemical concentration. The immersion time and excessive concentration have also affected the surface of the fibres and then affect the thermal and mechanical properties.

 

2.4…

In addition, the effects such as microfibre retraction, fibre surface damage and fibre exposure due to damage to the polymer matrix are the factors that cause negative effects on mechanical and other properties. In addition, the effect of moisture is also one of the weak factors as it results in swelling and micro-cracks hybrid composites.

 

In addition, some textual matters can still be further improved.

E.g. line 47: 'Recently, the increasing use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing [6]'.

Nowadays, the use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing

 

E.g. line 83: 'In addition, comprehensive research in terms of engineering, types, cultivation and uses of bamboo fibre, and realize the capabilities of this fibre in the manufacturing industry', etc.

In addition, comprehensive research on bamboo in terms of engineering, type, cultivation and fibre capability in the manufacturing industry

 

Table 1 is an asset, but please check formulation and typo in the remarks column.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

Line 100: 'Tables 3 and 4 show the chemical composition, mechanical and physical properties of the plant fibres'. Link with E-glass fiber in table 4 is missing?

Tables 3 and 4 show the chemical composition, mechanical and physical properties of the natural and E-glass fibres.

 

Line 122: what is growth in dominance?

Remove. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

Line 194: still strange sentence: 'In fact, these resources provide a positive impact and provide advantages equivalent to conventional materials such as lower density, recyclable and compatibility of both materials'. Spelling and meaning of 'recyclable' is not clear to me. Please add references if you mean that recyclability is positively impacted by the bamboo fibers!

In fact, these resources provide a positive impact and provide advantages equivalent to conventional materials such as lower density, recyclability and compatibility of both materials [74]–[76]. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

 

Line 210: 'Most of the literature review of Bamboo fibre composites on mechanical, physical and thermal testing'. Is there a verb in this sentence?

Remove. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

I thought that MDPI has guidelines for the layout of tables, this can improve readability!

Line 224: single s in middle of sentence?

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

E.g. line 248: Table 7 shows bamboo fibres reinforced polymer composites on the mechanical and physical properties'. This sentence could be reformulated.

Table 7 shows mechanical and physical properties of bamboo reinforced thermoplastic polymers. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

Polymers just need to be written full (abbreviation) once in the text (e.g. table 7). Idem DTG.

Derivative thermogravimetric (DTG)

 

Line 255: 'warm properties' ???

Thermal properties. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

E.g. line 258-260, please reformulate...

The thermal properties of bamboo composites have also been proven from previous studies where the effect of heat also influences the behaviour of bamboo and composites

 

Paragraph 272-208. E.g. 'This increase occurs is due to the increase in limited polymer chain movement due to the high bamboo content'.

 

Line 317: 'the bamboo is through a hot pressing process at a temperature 317 of 150°c,'. Suggestion: °C + verb is missing.

Then, the bamboo is through a hot pressing process at a temperature of 150°C for 0.5 min at a pressure of 3.5-7 Mpa, respectively.

 

E.g. line 322 : 'The filling process of matrix and applied pressure on the composites, the resin begins to fill on the bamboo cells, vessels, lumina and reacts the interface between the bamboo and the matrix to form a layer to enhance the mechanical properties of the bamboo composites'. Can be better formulated...

Due to this effect, the resin will penetrate into the damaged bamboo structure, vessel, lu-mina and react the interface between the bamboo and the matrix to form the inner wall to improve the properties of the bamboo composite. The stiffness of polymer matrix is lower compared to bamboo fibres and this facilitates penetration, redistribution and solidifica-tion on bamboo fibre composites. This formation phenomenon is one of the factors con-tributing to the improvement on the mechanical properties of bamboo composites

 

e.g. Ling 336: 'Thermal properties of the composite thermoset are also performed to determine the stability of the composite'. ??

Thermal properties of bamboo/ thermoset polymer are also performed to determine the stability of the composites

 

Line 418: even a point is missing between 2 sentences.

In Fig. 4 there is still the typo in 'challangas'

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

I would have expected a thorough revision after the first round, but I don't see any track changes in the middle part?

All revisions have been done on the first comment. The corrections were made and highlighted in ‘blue colour’, however, ‘track changes’ was not made at that time. Sorry for the misunderstanding. For the second revision, corrections are made using 'track changes'.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

The review has been improved. Many studies on thermoplastic and thermoset based bamboo composites have been listed and summarized, which is a great job! Even 32 references have been added, since the first version.

However, a general conclusion of the authors' analysis on the respective matter in paragraphs 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 is still missing. 

In addition, some textual matters can still be further improved.

E.g. line 47: 'Recently, the increasing use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing [6]'.

E.g. line 83: 'In addition, comprehensive research in terms of engineering, types, cultivation and uses of bamboo fibre, and realize the capabilities of this fibre in the manufacturing industry', etc.

Table 1 is an asset, but please check formulation and typo in the remarks column.

Line 100: 'Tables 3 and 4 show the chemical composition, mechanical and physical properties of the plant fibres'. Link with E-glass fiber in table 4 is missing?

Line 122: what is growth in dominance?

Line 194: still strange sentence: 'In fact, these resources provide a positive impact and provide advantages equivalent to conventional materials such as lower density, recyclable and compatibility of both materials'. Spelling and meaning of 'recyclable' is not clear to me. Please add references if you mean that recyclability is positively impacted by the bamboo fibers!

Line 210: 'Most of the literature review of Bamboo fibre composites on mechanical, physical and thermal testing'. Is there a verb in this sentence?

I thought that MDPI has guidelines for the layout of tables, this can improve readability!

Line 224: single s in middle of sentence?

E.g. line 248: Table 7 shows bamboo fibres reinforced polymer composites on the mechanical and physical properties'. This sentence could be reformulated.

Polymers just need to be written full (abbreviation) once in the text (e.g. table 7). Idem DTG.

Line 255: 'warm properties' ???

E.g. line 258-260, please reformulate...

Paragraph 272-208. E.g. 'This increase occurs is due to the increase in limited polymer chain movement due to the high bamboo content'.

Line 317: 'the bamboo is through a hot pressing process at a temperature 317 of 150°c'. Suggestion: °C + verb is missing.

E.g. line 322 : 'The filling process of matrix and applied pressure on the composites, the resin begins to fill on the bamboo cells, vessels, lumina and reacts the interface between the bamboo and the matrix to form a layer to enhance the mechanical properties of the bamboo composites'. Can be better formulated...

e.g. Ling 336: 'Thermal properties of the composite thermoset are also performed to determine the stability of the composite'. ??

Line 418: even a point is missing between 2 sentences.

In Fig. 4 there is still the typo in 'challangas'

I would have expected a thorough revision after the first round, but I don't see any track changes in the middle part?

 

 

Author Response

 

Dear editor,

 

Thanks for your letter and the thoughtful comments from the referees about our paper entitled “Bamboo fibre reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic polymer Composites: A Review of Properties, Fabrication and Potential Applications” polymers-1565441. We carefully analysed all the comments and these comments are very valuable and helpful for perfecting and modifying our manuscript, and also have important guiding significance for our research. Therefore, we carefully checked the manuscript and revised it according to each comment. Revised portions are using ‘track changes’ in the revised manuscript. The previous revisions are using ‘blue colour’ font. The detailed corrections in the paper and the responses to the reviewer’s comments are as the following list of revisions.

 

 

However, a general conclusion of the authors' analysis on the respective matter in paragraphs 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 is still missing. 

 

 2.2.. Bamboo is a fast-growing natural plant and it has strong fibres and can be applied to various products. The combination of bamboo fibre with thermoplastic such as High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP) and Polypropylene (PP) with various sizes and fibre loading bamboo fibres shows improvement of their mechanical properties up to optimum value. Therefore, the characteristics of size and fibre content are closely related to obtaining good mechanical properties of the bamboo composite.  

 

2.3… From previous research, the ability of bamboo fibre is a raw material in the manufacturing industry that can be made and produced in a variety of products as a reinforcing material in the thermoset. Similar to thermoplastic polymer, thermosets properties such as epoxy, phenolic, polyester etc. where the characteristics of size, uniformity and fibre content are closely related to mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strength)  of the bamboo composite.

 

Therefore, the improvement of chemical treatment for thermal stability depends on the temperature and immersion time, the type of treatment and chemical concentration. The immersion time and excessive concentration have also affected the surface of the fibres and then affect the thermal and mechanical properties.

 

2.4…

In addition, the effects such as microfibre retraction, fibre surface damage and fibre exposure due to damage to the polymer matrix are the factors that cause negative effects on mechanical and other properties. In addition, the effect of moisture is also one of the weak factors as it results in swelling and micro-cracks hybrid composites.

 

In addition, some textual matters can still be further improved.

E.g. line 47: 'Recently, the increasing use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing [6]'.

Nowadays, the use of petroleum-based plastics in human daily activities is increasing

 

E.g. line 83: 'In addition, comprehensive research in terms of engineering, types, cultivation and uses of bamboo fibre, and realize the capabilities of this fibre in the manufacturing industry', etc.

In addition, comprehensive research on bamboo in terms of engineering, type, cultivation and fibre capability in the manufacturing industry

 

Table 1 is an asset, but please check formulation and typo in the remarks column.

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

Line 100: 'Tables 3 and 4 show the chemical composition, mechanical and physical properties of the plant fibres'. Link with E-glass fiber in table 4 is missing?

Tables 3 and 4 show the chemical composition, mechanical and physical properties of the natural and E-glass fibres.

 

Line 122: what is growth in dominance?

Remove. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

Line 194: still strange sentence: 'In fact, these resources provide a positive impact and provide advantages equivalent to conventional materials such as lower density, recyclable and compatibility of both materials'. Spelling and meaning of 'recyclable' is not clear to me. Please add references if you mean that recyclability is positively impacted by the bamboo fibers!

In fact, these resources provide a positive impact and provide advantages equivalent to conventional materials such as lower density, recyclability and compatibility of both materials [74]–[76]. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

 

Line 210: 'Most of the literature review of Bamboo fibre composites on mechanical, physical and thermal testing'. Is there a verb in this sentence?

Remove. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

I thought that MDPI has guidelines for the layout of tables, this can improve readability!

Line 224: single s in middle of sentence?

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

E.g. line 248: Table 7 shows bamboo fibres reinforced polymer composites on the mechanical and physical properties'. This sentence could be reformulated.

Table 7 shows mechanical and physical properties of bamboo reinforced thermoplastic polymers. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

Polymers just need to be written full (abbreviation) once in the text (e.g. table 7). Idem DTG.

Derivative thermogravimetric (DTG)

 

Line 255: 'warm properties' ???

Thermal properties. Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion

 

E.g. line 258-260, please reformulate...

The thermal properties of bamboo composites have also been proven from previous studies where the effect of heat also influences the behaviour of bamboo and composites

 

Paragraph 272-208. E.g. 'This increase occurs is due to the increase in limited polymer chain movement due to the high bamboo content'.

 

Line 317: 'the bamboo is through a hot pressing process at a temperature 317 of 150°c,'. Suggestion: °C + verb is missing.

Then, the bamboo is through a hot pressing process at a temperature of 150°C for 0.5 min at a pressure of 3.5-7 Mpa, respectively.

 

E.g. line 322 : 'The filling process of matrix and applied pressure on the composites, the resin begins to fill on the bamboo cells, vessels, lumina and reacts the interface between the bamboo and the matrix to form a layer to enhance the mechanical properties of the bamboo composites'. Can be better formulated...

Due to this effect, the resin will penetrate into the damaged bamboo structure, vessel, lu-mina and react the interface between the bamboo and the matrix to form the inner wall to improve the properties of the bamboo composite. The stiffness of polymer matrix is lower compared to bamboo fibres and this facilitates penetration, redistribution and solidifica-tion on bamboo fibre composites. This formation phenomenon is one of the factors con-tributing to the improvement on the mechanical properties of bamboo composites

 

e.g. Ling 336: 'Thermal properties of the composite thermoset are also performed to determine the stability of the composite'. ??

Thermal properties of bamboo/ thermoset polymer are also performed to determine the stability of the composites

 

Line 418: even a point is missing between 2 sentences.

In Fig. 4 there is still the typo in 'challangas'

Thank you for your kind suggestion. All necessary changes have been made as per suggestion.

 

I would have expected a thorough revision after the first round, but I don't see any track changes in the middle part?

All revisions have been done on the first comment. The corrections were made and highlighted in ‘blue colour’, however, ‘track changes’ was not made at that time. Sorry for the misunderstanding. For the second revision, corrections are made using 'track changes'.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 3

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

The revisions are fine for me.

Best regards