Experimental Investigation of Surface Modified Abaca Fibre

Abstract:

Natural fibres have gained popularity due to their use in fabrication of biodegradable polymer composites which are not only non-polluting but are also light weight and inexpensive. Abaca fibres are known for their remarkable properties for which their polymer composites are used in automotive applications. However, hydrophilicity and compatibility with polymer matrices are the two major drawbacks of natural fibres which restrict their use as reinforcements in polymer composites. Therefore, present study deals with the surface modifications of abaca fibre using potassium permanganate and sodium hydroxide solutions to enhance crystallinity and reduce hydrophilicity of abaca fibres. Further, the surfaces of untreated and treated fibre were investigated with the help of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Surface treatment of abaca fibre led to the removal of unwanted wax, and other amorphous materials which was confirmed through FTIR analysis. Crystallinity index was found to be 57%, 59% and 61% for untreated, NaOH treated and KMnO₄ treated abaca fibre respectively.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 978)
• Pages: 291-295
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.978.291
• Online since: February 2020
• Authors: Agnivesh Kumar Sinha Sinha*, HK Narang, Somnath Bhattacharya
• Keywords: Abaca Fibres, FTIR, Natural Fibres, Surface Modification, X-Ray Diffraction

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