ABSTRACT
Bamboos, the flora belonging to perennial grass, are regarded as fastest growing plants on the earth. They grow almost everywhere without much human effort, protect environment, and produce one of the strongest natural fibers that have been accompanying the human lives from times immemorial. They not only provide foods, medicines, and habitats to several living beings but also are strong candidates for applications as fillers in plastics composites and for several high-tech applications. The purpose of this chapter is to review the relationship between structure and mechanical properties of the composites comprising bamboo fibers as fillers. The effect of different surface treatments and modification as well as compatibilization of the fibers on morphology and mechanical behavior of the composites will be addressed. In particular, the structure property correlation in completely biodegradable polymer composites will
be highlighted. A short introduction to the morphology and the properties of the bamboo fibers will be followed by a review of morphology of the bamboo fiber filled polymer composites comprising thermo sets, thermoplastics, biodegradable polymers, and polymer blends as matrix. We will attempt to critically review the mechanical performance of the polymer/bamboo composites with special reference to the fracture surface characterization of the composites by electron microscopy.
