Evaluation of moisture uptake behavior in cellulose fiber

In the last few decades, a rise in environmental concerns has inclined the attention of researchers and scientists more toward the utilization of natural composites, commonly termed biocomposites. The utilization of biocomposites in various engineering applications relies on their useful properties like easy availability, nontoxicity, and biodegradable nature. Among plenty of available biocomposites, cellulosic fibers and cellulose-based composites are the key class of natural fibers. The cellulose fibers offer highly specific mechanical properties, lower density, and costs, wide availability, etc., thus they are frequently used as reinforcements for synthesizing nanocomposites. Along with many useful properties, the susceptibility of cellulose fibers toward humidity and moisture might affect their overall performance. Several studies have been conducted on the moisture uptake behavior of cellulose-based fibers. The moisture uptake by the cellulose fibers may alter their tensile and flexural properties. The presented chapter gives a survey of the moisture uptake behavior of cellulose fibers.