Thermal decomposition behavior of thin Makino bamboo (Phyllostachys makinoi) slivers under nitrogen atmosphere

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of heat treatment on the thermal decomposition behavior (changes in the chemical composition and color, strain variation, and tensile properties) of a thin Makino bamboo (Phyllostachys makinoi) sliver. The performances, reactions, and formations in heat treated bamboo slivers were measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated that a high thermal stability, cross-linking of lignin condensation, hemicellulose deacetylation, and an increase in cellulose crystallinity were observed. In addition, the bamboo slivers after heat treatment had a higher Poisson’s ratio due to a decrease in the ductility in the loading direction and an increase in the transverse shrinkage. Furthermore, using isothermal dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the normalized storage modulus of the bamboo slivers rapidly decreased when the treatment temperature exceeded 220 °C. According to first-order thermal decomposition kinetics by Arrhenius activation theory, the activation energy for thermal decomposition of the bamboo slivers was calculated to be 142.2 kJ/mol.