Preparation of nanofiber particles from the leaf of Aristida hystrix and its characterization

Abstract

Natural fibers have been focused by researches to develop high performance and eco-friendly reinforcement in polymer composites. The present work is deliberated on the characterization of nanoparticles of Aristida hystrix (AH) leaf fiber to confirm their compatibility as reinforcement in polymer composites. The macro leaf fiber is reduced to nanofiber particles by ball milling method. From the characterization results, the AH leaf nanoparticles had cellulose content of (61.21 wt %) and crystallinity index (58.37%). The thermal stability of AH nanofiber particles was studied under nitrogen and oxygen environment. From the results obtained, the thermal stability of this fiber was found to be closer to 298.6°C and 312.6°C respectively. The morphological analysis evidenced that the cellulosic particles were in nanoscale. The antibacterial activity of AH nanofiber particles against Escherichia coli, Acetino bacteria, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus was determined by well diffusion method. The extracted AH nanopowder prepared by distilled water showed the maximum zone of inhibition against all tested bacterias in low concentrations (50 mg/50 µL). The zone of inhibition of AH fiber particles was better in Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which is suitable for the medical applications.

Keywords

• aristida hystrix fiber
• crystallinity
• nanoparticle
• x-ray diffraction
• fourier transform
• ball milling