Date palm fiber-reinforced polymer composites and their thermal properties: a comprehensive review

The date palm tree is the native plant species of Middle-eastern countries and their surrounding regions, which generate around 2.6 to 2.8 million tons of agricultural waste. Recently, there has been a profound interest in the use of date palm fiber (DPF) as reinforcement in polymer composites. The fibers can be extracted from the trunk, leaf sheath, leaf stalk, and fruit bunch stalk of a typical date palm tree. This review outlines the assessment of thermal and thermo-mechanical properties of the date palm fiber-reinforced polymer composites using various analytical techniques like differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) with the aim of providing an insight into the various factors influencing thermal stability and thermo-mechanical properties. A detailed review of the melting temperature, crystallization temperature, glass transition temperature, crystallization index, thermal degradation temperature, residue