Preparation of Activated Carbon- and Graphite-Coated Banana Fibers as Flame-Retardant Materials

Abstract

In polymer studies, biocomposite now draws attention as an exciting material obtained from combining natural fiber and matrix, which is an environmentally friendly material with biodegradable properties. One of the natural fibers often used in polymer filler is banana stem fiber. This study aims to prepare carbon-coated waste-dried banana fiber. The waste of banana stems was used as raw material for preparing cellulose-rich banana stem fiber. The banana fiber was soaked in an alkaline solvent, 1% NaOH, to remove the lignin content. The dried banana fiber was then coated with activated carbon and graphite by immersion in the carbon dispersion in ethanol with PVA glue binder added. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra show different profiles on raw and carbon-coated banana fibers, indicating successful carbon coating. The burning test and thermal analysis results show that carbon-coated banana fibers have better thermal properties than raw banana fiber. This suggests that carbon covered on the fiber surface could enhance its thermal property due to intramolecular bonds between fibers and carbon particles. Graphite-coated banana fibers have the longest burning time and are concluded to have the best fire-retardant properties among all samples. The findings confirmed the potential use of carbon-coated banana fiber as filler material for reinforcing conventional composites.