ABSTRACT

Cyrtostachys renda (CR) and Ptychosperma macarthurii (PM) fibers, as new cellulosic fibers were studied. The objective of this research is to evaluate the fibers from stem, leaf stalk, and frond of these two plants as reinforcement in the polymer composites. The density, chemical composition, functional group, crystallinity index, and thermal stability were studied for CR and PM fibers. From the analysis, the density and thermal stability of both leaf stalk fibers are found almost similar. The highest crystallinity index (55.67%) of the leaf stalk of CR was attributed to the highest cellulosic content (38.99%) and the functional group (C-H stretching). From the results, the optimized properties were found for the leaf stalk of CR fiber. The tensile strength, interfacial shear strength (IFSS), morphology of the leaf stalk of CR were explored. The ultimate tensile strength, Young modulus, and IFSS of the leaf stalk of CR is 51.82 ± 9.41 MPa, 0.69 ± 0.18 GPa, and 3.27 ± 0.5 MPa, respectively. The Scanning Electron Microscopy observation revealed that the leaf stalk fiber of CR possesses anti-microbial properties which has been corroborated through the presence of silica bodies over the fiber surface. Hence, the leaf stalk of CR acts as a potential reinforcement in the polymeric composites for lightweight applications.

摘要

Cyrtostachys renda (CR) 和Ptychosperma macarthurii（PM）纤维，作为新的纤维素纤维进行了研究。本研究的目的是评估来自这两种植物的茎、叶茎和叶的纤维作为聚合物复合材料中的增强材料。研究了 CR 和 PM 纤维的密度、化学成分、官能团、结晶度指数和热稳定性。根据分析，发现两种叶柄纤维的密度和热稳定性几乎相似。CR叶柄的最高结晶度指数（55.67%）归因于最高的纤维素含量（38.99%）和官能团（CH拉伸）。从结果中可以看出，CR纤维的叶柄具有优化的特性。对CR叶柄的抗拉强度、界面剪切强度（IFSS）、形态进行了研究。极限抗拉强度、杨氏模量、CR叶柄的IFSS分别为51.82±9.41 MPa、0.69±0.18 GPa和3.27±0.5 MPa。扫描电子显微镜观察表明，CR 的叶柄纤维具有抗微生物特性，这已通过纤维表面存在的二氧化硅体得到证实。因此，CR 的叶柄可作为聚合物复合材料中用于轻量化应用的潜在增强材料。