Bright Brailson Mansingh, Govindarajan Bharathiraja, Joseph Selvi Binoj, Manikandan Natarajan, Heru Suryanto, Suchart Siengchin, Mavinkere Rangappa Sanjay
The chemical, physico-mechanical, morphological, and thermal characteristics of alkali treated natural cellulosic sustainable eco-friendly fiber from peduncle of Areca Catechu tree were investigated. Areca Catechu fruit peduncle fiber (ACFPF) treated with 5% (w/v) NaOH solution for 60 min is found as optimally alkali treated ACFPF (OAACFPF) witnessed an increase in cellulose content by 17%. Single fiber tensile test perceived that OAACFPF enhanced tensile strength by 12.9% and x-ray diffraction analysis depicts crystallinity index of OAACFPF improved by 14.2% compared with ACFPF. Also, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis endorsed partial removal of amorphous contents from fibers due to alkali treatment. In addition, alkali treatment has enhanced thermal stability of OAACFPF from 226°C to 235°C verified through Thermogravimetric analysis. Likewise, Differential scanning calorimetry analysis confirmed improvement in thermal degradation temperature of OAACFPF after alkali treatment. Moreover, the rougher surface of OAACFPF confirmed through scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy is due to partial removal of amorphous contents thus ensuing in good interfacial bonding characteristics with the matrix during reinforcement for bio-composite fabrication. The above findings validated OAACFPF as a worthy substitute to harmful synthetic fibers for development of eco-friendly and sustainable bio-composites. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore, India; Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India; Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, India; Center of Excellence for Cellulose Composite (CECCom), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Centre of Advanced Material for Renewable Energy (CAMRY), Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Natural Composites Research Group Lab, Department of Materials and Production Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok, Thailand