Characterization of natural fiber extracted from Bauhinia vahlii bast subjected to different surface treatments: A potential reinforcement in polymer composite

Abstract

ABSTRACT Bauhinia vahlii (BV) is a great source of cellulosic biomass, and it is gaining popularity as a renewable resource. BV bast fiber is proposed to have the potential to replace synthetic fibers in biopolymer composites as a reinforcing material. This investigation deals with the extraction, surface modification and comprehensive characterization of BV bast fibers which could be used for the production of sustainable fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The extracted fibers were chemically treated with sodium hydroxide, sodium chlorite, and benzoyl chloride. Then, the chemical properties, mechanical properties, surface morphology and thermal properties were investigated. An improvement in chemical and mechanical properties was observed after surface modification of fibers. Benzoylation treated BV bast fibers revealed highest tensile strength of 128.56 MPa and Young’s modulus of 8.34 GPa. In addition, after treatment, the fibers had rougher surface as seen from SEM images. The surface treatments removed a specific quantity of hemicelluloses, lignin, and pectin from the natural fiber surface, according to FTIR analysis. The surface treatments had a good impact on the crystallinity index of the natural fibers, according to XRD analysis. The characterization results confirmed that BV bast fibers could be used for the production of sustainable fiber reinforced polymer composites.