Characterization studies on lignocellulosic fruit fibers and hybrid composites

Abstract

The advent of new technologies and scientific development has given birth to a wide variety of products that need diverse properties to make them fit for their intended use. In this aspect, materials selection plays a vital role in the successful functioning of a product. Composite materials are emerging as important functional materials for the materials community. Composite materials contain reinforcement and matrix where reinforcement can be a natural fiber or a synthetic fiber and the matrix may be polymeric or metallic or ceramic based. Natural fibers gain worldwide acceptance on account of their favourable properties such as low density, ubiquitous presence, abundant availability, low price, appreciable mechanical strength, bio-degradability, non-toxicity in addition to their sustainability. Fibers can be extracted from the root, stem, leaf, fruit of the plants, and the presence of lignocellulosic materials such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in them is responsible for making them to be used as reinforcements in polymer matrices. A comprehensive characterization study on the natural fibers using the analytical techniques such as Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Thermo-gravimetric Analysis can give an insight about the properties of the fibers and their suitability as reinforcements in the polymers. In this study, dry mature brown color fibers extracted by microbial degradation from the mesocarp of the Cocos nucifera fruit and Luffa cylindrica fibers extracted from the outer mat of the ripened Luffa cylindrica fruit are used. Based on this study, it is found that the fibers contain cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and pectin along with other extractives. newline newline newline