A review on alfa fibre (Stipa tenacissima L.): From the plant architecture to the reinforcement of polymer composites

Abstract The automotive and aeronautic industries have become strategic sectors for North African countries. However, the future growth of these sectors will likely depend on the availability of raw materials such as plant fibres to reinforce polymers. In the framework of this paper, we reviewed the research that focused on alfa fibres, which are deemed to be one of the most available fibres in the Mediterranean area. This plant also plays an essential role in protecting the Mediterranean countries from desertification and desert encroachment. Throughout this review, we discussed and expounded the morphological, chemical compositions and the mechanical properties of the alfa fibres and we compared them to other plants fibres. Moreover, we surveyed several academic research works that used different alfa fibres as reinforcement of thermoset and thermoplastic matrices. In particular, we outlined that alfa fibre can constitute a potential reinforcement of polymer matrices in the North Africa countries.