Characterization Studies of Natural Cellulosic Fibers Extracted from Shwetark Stem

ABSTRACT

The present investigation is mainly aimed to characterize the cellulosic fibers extracted from the stem of Shwetark plant to test its possibility to be used as polymeric reinforcement. Chemical analysis conducted on the Shwetark fibers shows the presence of cellulose (69.65 wt. %), lignin (16.82 wt. %), wax (0.53 wt. %), ash (3.4 wt. %) and wetness content (8.8 wt. %). The density of the fibers is found as 1.364 g/cm³. Crystallinity index and the crystallite size of the fibers are calculated as 72.06% and 3nm, respectively, from X-ray diffraction analysis while the presence of functional groups is ascertained from Fourier transform infrared analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the fibers are thermally stable till 225°C, and the fiber morphology seen through scanning electron microscopic shows that the fibers are composed of densely and uniformly packed cellulose microfibrils. Atomic force microscopic studies exemplify that Shwetark fibers can be used for tribological applications. The mean tensile strength and percentage elongation of the Shwetark fibers are found as 309.68 MPa and 1.092%, respectively. Thus, the studies show the possibility of Shwetark fibers as prospective candidates to replace harmful synthetic man-made fibers.

摘要

本调查主要针对从什韦塔克植物的茎中提取的纤维素纤维进行表征，以测试其用作聚合物增强物的可能性. 对什韦塔克纤维进行的化学分析表明，纤维素（69.65 wt.），木质素（16.82 wt.），蜡（0.53 wt.），灰（3.4 wt.%））和湿度含量（8.8 wt.%）。纤维的密度为1.364克/立方厘米. 通过X射线衍射分析，分别计算出纤维的结晶度指数和结晶大小为72.06%和3nm，而从傅立叶变换红外分析中确定功能组的存在. 热重力分析表明，纤维热稳定到225°C，通过扫描电子微观观察的纤维形态表明，纤维由密集、均匀包装的纤维素微纤维组成. 原子力微观研究证明，Shwetark纤维可用于摩擦学应用. Shwetark纤维的平均拉伸强度和百分比伸长率分别为309.68MPa和1.092%。因此，研究表明，什韦塔克纤维作为潜在候选物取代有害的合成人造纤维的可能性.

KEYWORDS:

• Shwetark fibers
• chemical analysis
• FT-IR analysis
• X-ray diffraction
• thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
• atomic force microscopy

关键词:

• 纤维
• 化学分析
• 分析
• 射线衍射
• 热重力分析
• 原子力显微镜

Conflicts of Interest

None declared

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.