Graphene-enhanced natural fiber reinforced composites for protective footwear and other high-performance applications

安全鞋的设计是为了保护工人的脚免受伤害，如鞋底被尖锐物体刺穿和因重物坠落而压碎/破碎的脚。直到最近，安全鞋主要由钢制成。 然而，钢制安全鞋具有沉重的结构，靴子的重量很大，导致运动限制，以及长时间轮班的工人的疲劳。因此，由标准合成纤维材料（碳、玻璃或凯夫拉）制成的纤维增强聚合物复合材料（FRP）现在正成为传统钢鞋的流行替代品。这是由于其具有上级的高刚度和强度以及低重量特性。然而，随着全球环境问题的急剧上升，迫切需要找到更可持续的方法来制造玻璃钢，以实现净零排放和最小限度地使用不可再生资源。天然纤维增强复合材料（NFRP）是合成纤维增强复合材料的轻质、环保替代品。尽管天然纤维（NF）表现出与其合成对应物相当的性能，但使用NF作为增强物的主要限制是由于纤维的亲水性而与聚合物基质的相容性差，从而导致最终复合材料的总体机械性能低。近年来，石墨烯及其衍生物因其优异的力学性能增强潜力而备受关注。用小百分比的石墨烯基纳米材料对NF进行表面处理已经显示出NFRP的机械行为的显著增加。然而，到目前为止，还没有系统的理解的过程-结构性能的关系，以及如何优化这些复合材料的各种负载和在服务条件。拟议的研究旨在开发耐用的轻质混合复合材料，用NF和石墨烯基颗粒增强，用于安全鞋。我们将探索不同的石墨烯材料、聚合物基质和复合材料加工条件，以实现可持续的轻量化防护鞋的最佳设计，满足CSA安全要求，同时显著提高加拿大工人的舒适度。

Safety footwear is designed to protect workers' feet against injuries such as sole puncture by sharp objects and crushed/broken feet by falling of heavy objects. Until recently, safety shoes were predominantly made of steel. Nevertheless, steel safety shoes present a heavy construction, with significant weight of the boots resulting in motion restriction, and tiredness of workers with long work shifts. For this reason, fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPs) made from standard synthetic fiber materials (Carbon, Glass or Kevlar) are now becoming a popular alternative to traditional steel shoes. This is due to the superior high stiffness and strength and low weight properties. However, with the steep rise in global environmental concerns, there is a dire need to find more sustainable ways of manufacturing of FRPs to achieve Net-Zero emissions and minimal use of non-renewable resources. Natural fiber reinforced composites (NFRPs) are emerging as light-weight, environmentally friendly alternatives to the synthetic fiber reinforced composites. Although natural fibers (NFs) exhibit comparable properties to their synthetic counterparts, a main limitation of using NFs as reinforcements is the poor compatibility with polymer matrices due to the hydrophilic nature of the fibers, thus leading to low overall mechanical properties of the final composites. Recently, graphene and its derivatives have attracted attention for their outstanding mechanical properties enhancement potential. Surface treatment of NFs with small percentages of graphene-based nanomaterials has shown a significant increase in the mechanical behavior of NFRPs. However, to date, there is no systematic understanding of the process-structure property relationship and how to optimize these composites for various loading and in-service conditions. The proposed research aims to develop durable lightweight hybrid composites reinforced with NFs and graphene-based particles for safety footwear. We will explore different graphene materials, polymer matrices and composite processing conditions to achieve optimal design of sustainable lightweight protective shoes that meet the CSA safety requirements while significantly improving the comfort levels of Canadian workers.