Abstract
The objective of this research was to evaluate the properties of the chemically retted kenaf bast fiber impregnated with the inorganic nanoparticles. High quality kenaf bast fibers were obtained from a chemical retting process. An in situ inorganic nanoparticle impregnation (INI) process was used to introduce the CaCO3 nanoparticles into the retted kenaf bast fibers. It was found that some of the lignin-based components in the retted fibers were further removed during the INI treatment. From the characterization results, the inorganic nanoparticles CaCO3, with different shapes and sizes, appeared at the surface of the impregnated fiber after treatment. Heterogeneous CaCO3 nanoparticle distribution was observed on the INI treated fibers. The CaCO3 contents were different at different locations along the impregnated fiber. The presence of CaCO3 inorganic nanoparticles at the fiber surface increased the root mean square (RMS) surface roughness by 5.8% and decreased the hydrophilic nature of the retted fibers, evidenced by a 59.4% decrease in adhesion force between the fiber and hydrophilic AFM tip. In addition, the impregnation of CaCO3 dramatically increased the Young’s modulus of the fiber by 344%.
Highlights
The lignocellulosic materials are sustainable, environmentally friendly and renewable
We have developed an in situ inorganic nanoparticle impregnation (INI) process to obtain high quality kenaf bast fibers [20,21,22]
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of impregnated inorganic nanoparticles in the kenaf bast fibers on the fiber properties, such as morphology, chemical components, surface roughness and modulus
Summary
The lignocellulosic materials are sustainable, environmentally friendly and renewable. Additional micropores are created during the chemical treatments or pulping due to the removal of some lignin and hemicellulose of the natural fibers [19] The presence of these micropores in the cell wall could cause manufacturing defects, such as interfacial failure and air pockets, in the composites. In order to improve the compatibility between natural fibers and thermoplastics and reduce the air pocket defect, micro or nano sized particles can be introduced into the micropores of the fiber cell wall structure through an impregnation process to fill those pores. The nanoparticle impregnation could fill the micropores of the fiber cell wall structure minimizing the air bubble defects of the composites, and introduce the nanoparticles onto the fiber surfaces serving as the affinity sites to improve the compatibility at the fiber and polymer interfaces [20,21]. Inorganic nanoparticles in the kenaf bast fibers on the fiber properties, such as morphology, chemical components, surface roughness and modulus
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