Effect of alkali treatment on novel natural fiber extracted from Himalayacalamus falconeri culms for polymer composite applications

Natural fibers derived from plants were gaining favor as a viable alternative to synthetic materials. However, searching for sustainable raw materials with superior qualities is cumbersome because most natural fibers are limited to specific geographical areas. Himalayacalamus falconeri (HF) is a fast-growing plant that is abundant in the hills of Uttarakhand, India. This study is aimed at extracting fibers from the stem of Himalayacalamus falconeri (HF) culms, and investigate their properties by XRD analysis, TGA analysis, AFM analysis, and single-fiber tensile test. The extracted HF fiber was alkali-treated to enhance its mechanical properties. It was observed that the alkali treatment on HF fibers increased the cellulose content by 6%, and density by 4% compared with untreated fiber. Furthermore, the removal of amorphous components from the fiber surface resulted in a decrease in diameter from 103.95 to 94.4 mu m. In addition, the alkali treatment on HF fiber enhanced the material's crystallinity index (from 58.92 to 67.79%), tensile strength (from 132 to 196.5 MPa), thermal stability (from 250 to 258 degrees C), and surface roughness (from 23.478 to 37 nm). The experimental findings confirmed that HF fiber is a suitable replacement material for synthetic reinforcement materials in lightweight polymer composites.