Investigation of Physico-chemical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of New Cellulosic Bast Fiber Extracted from the Bark of Bauhinia purpurea

ABSTRACT

The alarming increase in the global pollution levels has necessitated the use of eco-friendly materials in composite making. Natural fibers derived from plant sources possess superior mechanical properties and proves to be a suitable alternate for synthetic fibers. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the physico-chemical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of new cellulosic fiber obtained from the bark of Bauhinia purpurea through various tests such as chemical, tensile, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). From test results, Bauhinia purpurea fiber (BPF) was found to possess high cellulose (67.46 wt.%), with high crystallinity index (65.61%), and was found to offer high tensile strength (375.77 − 793.25 MPa) and large Young’s modulus (12.78–20.12 GPa). Lower density (1190 kg/m³) and high onset temperature of thermal degradation (225.55°C) make BPF more appropriate for making biodegradable composites for automobile and infrastructure sectors.

摘要

全球污染水平惊人地增加, 使得在复合材料制造中必须使用环保材料. 从植物中提取的天然纤维具有优越的机械性能, 是合成纤维的合适替代品. 本文通过化学、拉伸、傅立叶变换红外光谱 (FT-IR), X射线衍射(XRD), 热重分析 (TG) 等测试手段, 对紫荆树皮新纤维素纤维的物理化学、力学、热性能和形态特征进行了研究, 差示扫描量热法 (DSC) 和场发射扫描电子显微镜 (FESEM). 从测试结果来看, 紫荆花纤维 (BPF) 具有高纤维素 (67.46 wt.%), 高结晶指数 (65.61%), 高抗拉强度 (375.77-793.25 MPa) 和大杨氏模量 (12.78-20.12 GPa). 较低的密度 (1190kg/m3) 和较高的热降解起始温度 (225.55°C) 使BPF更适合于制造用于汽车和基础设施部门的可生物降解复合材料.

KEYWORDS:

• Bauhinia purpurea fiber
• cellulose
• chemical analysis
• crystallinity index
• thermal stability

关键词:

• 紫荆纤维
• 纤维
• 素化学分析
• 结晶度指数
• 热稳定性

Acknowledgments

The authors thank final year mechanical engineering students of Government Polytechnic college-Villupuram 605752, Tamilnadu India for rendering their support for carrying out this research work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors have no funding to report.