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Upcycling waste cotton fabrics into carbonized reinforcements for epoxy biocomposites via sulfuric acid treatment and tannic acid curing
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DOI：10.1007/s42823-026-01118-2.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Waste cotton textiles are an abundant cellulose-rich bioresource, yet their high-value utilization in functional composite materials remains limited. In this study, waste cotton fabrics were upcycled into carbonized reinforcing phases for epoxy composites through sulfuric acid pretreatment followed by heat treatment. To further improve interfacial integration and fire performance, a plant-derived tannic acid (TA) curing system was introduced into the epoxy matrix. The sulfuric acid treatment promoted the formation of thermally stable carbonaceous structures from the cotton fabrics, while the TA-based curing contributed to a reinforced interfacial network within the composites. As a result, the TA-cured composite exhibited a tensile strength of 34.61 MPa, representing an approximately 114% increase compared with the amine-cured composite prepared under the same pretreatment condition. In addition, micro combustion calorimetry revealed an approximately 37% reduction in total heat release. Cone calorimetry further demonstrated delayed ignition, reduced smoke and toxic gas release, and increased char residue. These findings indicate that the combined use of waste cotton-derived carbonized reinforcements and tannic acid curing provides an effective route for producing multifunctional epoxy composites with improved mechanical performance and flame retardancy. This work offers a promising strategy for the valorization of waste cellulose textiles into high-performance bioresource-derived composite materials.
Keywords:
Waste cotton
Cellulose-derived carbonized fabric
Bioresource valorization
Biocomposite
Tannic acid
Flame-retardant composite
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