Thermo-mechanical Characterization of New Natural Cellulose Fiber from Zmioculus Zamiifolia

The environmental impact on pollution has attracted the use of natural cellulose fibers as a replacement for synthetic materials due its ecofriendly nature and to reduce carbon foot print. The current research focusses on the extraction and characterization of novel fibers from Zmioculus Zamiifolia (ZZ) stem. Moreover, the research focusses to find out the application suitability of ZZ cellulose fiber to meet the demand of raw materials and as a reinforcement in polymer composites. Experimental analysis is carried out to analyze the fundamental properties of the natural fibers like density, chemical composition, crystallinity, thermal, tensile, and morphological properties. Attempts were taken to improve the properties of the ZZ fiber through surface modification using 5% molar concentration of alkali treatment. The chemical analysis revealed that the alkali treatment improved the cellulose weight % and density by 27.99% and 24.91%, respectively. The crystalline index and crystal size are improved by 46.79% and 63.77%, respectively due to the removal excess amorphous constituents. The thermal stability is improved from 310 to 326 celcius with a kinetic activation energy of 71.86 kJ/mol as confirmed from thermogravimetric analysis. Furthermore, the chemical treatment increased the wettability nature by exposing more reaction cites. Additionally, the scanning electron microscopic images and 3D surface plot reveals improvement in the surface texture because of the removal of amorphous constituents and impurities from the surface of fiber. From the test results, it is proved that the novel Zmioculus Zamiifolia is a alternative sustainable resource of cellulose fibers that is suitable for reinforcements to develop polymer composites for lightweight structural applications.

Automated summary

The research focuses on extracting and characterizing novel fibers from ZZ stems, evaluating their application as sustainable alternative cellulose fibers, and improving their properties through alkali treatment.