Physico-chemical, Thermal and Tensile Properties of Alkali-treated <i>Acacia Concinna</i> Fiber
Amutha Venugopal, Senthil Kumar Boominathan
Abstract
The fundamental properties (diameter, density, chemical composition, crystalline nature, thermal behaviors, tensile properties and Surface topography) of the raw and alkalized Acacia Concinna fiber (ACF) were investigated in this article with the intension verify the fitness of Acacia Concinna fiber as reinforcement in green composites. Outcomes of the chemical analysis established that 5% (w/v) NaoH with 45 min treatment time was produced the optimistic transform in the chemical composition than other treatment timings (15, 30,60,75 min). The diminution in the lignin and hemi-cellulose content of the alkalized ACF was established through the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrograms. Improvements in the crystallographic parameters (Crystallinity index (27.5% to 35.6%) and crystalline size (4.17 nm to 6.43 nm) of optimally alkalized ACF were demonstrated through the X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The mass degradation pattern (TG and DTG profile) of the untreated and optimally alkalized ACF were generated with the help of a thermal analyzer. Scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope were used to record the impact of alkalization in surface topography of the ACF.