Physical characterization of natural lignocellulosic single areca fiber

In the recent decades, natural lignocellulosic fibers are used as reinforcements in the fabrication of polymer composites which are considered as most promising materials in structural applications due to its superior properties, eco-friendly nature and economic advantages. The main drawback of usage of these natural fibers as reinforcement for composites is their low degradation temperatures around 200 degrees C, which make them inadequate for processing temperatures above 200 degrees C. Hence, the aim of this research work is to improve thermal stability of natural lignocellulosic areca fibers by various chemical treatments and to assess the influence of chemical treatments on the crystallinity of areca fibers. So, in this study, areca fibers were subjected to chemical treatments such as NaOH, KMnO4, C6H5COCl, H2C= CHCOOH and CH3CO-O-OC-CH3 to improve its thermal stability. Thermal stability and crystallinity of untreated and chemically treated areca fibers were characterized by TGA-DTG and XRD studies respectively. The results from TGA-DTG data have shown improved thermal stability for chemically treated areca fibers and the results from XRD analysis indicated the little decrease in percentage crystallinity and crystallinity index for the chemically treated areca fibers. The SEM micrographs confirmed the chemical modification and its influence on the morphological aspects of areca fibers. (C) 2015 Portuguese Society of Materials (SPM). Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.. All rights reserved.