Influence of Various Surface Treatments on Mechanical, Thermal, Morphological, and Water Absorption Properties of Rattan (Calamus beccarii) Fiber

The goal of this study is to thoroughly comprehend the advantages of rattan (Calamus beccarii) as potential reinforcement in polymeric composites. The influence of various chemical treatments on thermal, morphological, mechanical and water absorption characteristics of natural rattan (RA) stem fiber were investigated. In this research, RA fiber surface was modified through different chemical treatments such as alkalization, bleaching, and benzoylation. The presence of voids and rough surfaces was investigated on SEM micrographs which are due to removal of lignin, wax, and oils from the fiber surface to a large extent. The results obtained from Fourier transform infrared may indicate the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin compounds in the case of untreated and treated RA fiber. The increase in tensile strength and Young’s modulus confirms improvement in the mechanical properties of the RA fiber after chemical treatment. It was observed that alkali-treated RA fibers exhibit highest mechanical properties (295.28 MPa tensile strength, 8.23 GPa Young’s modulus). Also, X-ray diffraction analysis gives a higher crystallinity index (62.50%) for treated RA fiber. Thermogravimetric analysis confirms that there was an increase in the thermal stability of the fiber after chemical treatment. Overall results confirm that the RA fiber is appropriate for use as a reinforcing phase in composite materials for prospective engineering semi-structural applications such as roofing sheets, bricks, door panels, furniture panels, interior paneling, storage tanks, and pipelines

Effect of Various Chemical Treatments on Physical, Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Properties of Calotropis Gigantea Bast Fiber

This paper highlights the chemical surface modifications of Calotropis gigantea (CG) bast fiber for attaining suitable properties as reinforcements in polymeric composites. The effect of chemical modification on its various properties like physical, mechanical, thermal and morphological properties was also discussed in this research. For this purpose the extracted fibers were chemically treated with various chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, potassium permanganate, sodium chlorite and benzoyl chloride. After surface modifications, its density, mechanical property, thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and surface morphology were thoroughly investigated. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of alkali treated CG fiber was found to be 210.39 MPa and 1.77 GPa respectively. The crystallinity index was improved by 25.37% as compared with untreated CG fiber. Finally, it was observed that alkali treated fiber gives better performance and enhances various properties of Calotropis gigantea stem fibers for use as novel reinforcement in composite materials

Characterization of natural fiber extracted from Bauhinia vahlii bast subjected to different surface treatments: A potential reinforcement in polymer composite

Bauhinia vahlii (BV) is a great source of cellulosic biomass, and it is gaining popularity as a renewable resource. BV bast fiber is proposed to have the potential to replace synthetic fibers in biopolymer composites as a reinforcing material. This investigation deals with the extraction, surface modification and comprehensive characterization of BV bast fibers which could be used for the production of sustainable fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The extracted fibers were chemically treated with sodium hydroxide, sodium chlorite, and benzoyl chloride. Then, the chemical properties, mechanical properties, surface morphology and thermal properties were investigated. An improvement in chemical and mechanical properties was observed after surface modification of fibers. Benzoylation treated BV bast fibers revealed highest tensile strength of 128.56 MPa and Young’s modulus of 8.34 GPa. In addition, after treatment, the fibers had rougher surface as seen from SEM images. The surface treatments removed a specific quantity of hemicelluloses, lignin, and pectin from the natural fiber surface, according to FTIR analysis. The surface treatments had a good impact on the crystallinity index of the natural fibers, according to XRD analysis. The characterization results confirmed that BV bast fibers could be used for the production of sustainable fiber reinforced polymer composites