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S&M4674 Research Paper https://doi.org/10.18494/SAM6340 Published: October 30, 2026 Eco-friendly Corn-husk-based Natural-Fiber Composite Panels: Thermal, Acoustic, and Light-induced Degradation Behavior for Sustainable Engineering Applications [PDF] Dieter Rahmadiawan, Shih-Chen Shi, Yu Hao, and Guan-Yu Chen (Received March 16, 2026; Accepted July 27, 2026) Keywords: corn‑husk plywood, thermal insulation, sound absorption, photodegradation, sustainable materials
In this study, we explore the thermal, acoustic, and photodegradation properties of eco-friendly corn-husk plywood of various densities (600, 800, and 1000 kg/m³) and thicknesses (3, 5, and 10 mm). Thermal tests showed that lower density increased internal porosity, reducing thermal conductivity. Acoustic measurements in a small reverberation chamber revealed that sound absorption improved with lower density and greater thickness. The 10‑600 (thickness-density) sample achieved a peak absorption coefficient of 0.41 at 6300 Hz and an average coefficient of 0.308, exceeding the 0.200 benchmark for effective sound‑absorbing materials. Photodegradation under 28 days of UV‑A and visible light exposure led to a 60% decrease in tensile strength and 8.2% weight loss. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a reduction in C1s (87.3 to 72.8%) and an increase in O1s (12.7 to 27.2%), indicating cellulose oxidation and chain scission. These results demonstrate that low‑density corn‑husk plywood combines strong thermal and acoustic performance with inherent photodegradability, making it a promising sustainable building material.
Corresponding author: Shih-Chen Shi![]() ![]() This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Cite this article Dieter Rahmadiawan, Shih-Chen Shi, Yu Hao, and Guan-Yu Chen, Eco-friendly Corn-husk-based Natural-Fiber Composite Panels: Thermal, Acoustic, and Light-induced Degradation Behavior for Sustainable Engineering Applications, Sens. Mater., Vol. 38, No. 10, 2026, p. 6183-6194. |