Characterization of the natural fibers extracted from the aninga’s stem and development of a unidirectional polymeric sheet

Abstract

Abstract A unidirectional sheet was made with oriented fibers in an epoxy matrix. Natural fibers were extracted from the stem of Montrichardia linifera (Arruda) Schott., traditionally known as aninga, characterized and used to produce a unidirectional polymeric sheet. FTIR, XRD, SEM, TG, and DTG analyses were performed to characterize these cellulose fibers. Peaks observed at 1024 cm− 1, 1600 cm− 1, and 3328 cm− 1 revealed the stretching vibration of the O–H bond, the stretching of the carbonyl in hemicellulose, and the vibration of aromatic rings, respectively. XRD analysis demonstrated a crystallinity index of 62.21%. Morphological analysis revealed the microstructural quality of the fiber surface, with grooves for mechanical anchoring, as well as its interior, which is composed of microfibrils. EDS analysis confirmed the presence of the main elements composing natural fibers, with carbon being the major component (70%). The thermal stability of aninga fibers was up to 450 ºC for the degradation of 50% of their initial mass. The mechanical properties of untreated aninga fibers showed a tensile strength of 332 MPa and an elastic modulus of 13.000 MPa. The unidirectional sheet had a tensile strength of 4.5 MPa and an elasticity modulus of 332.9 MPa. These outcomes ensured that aninga fiber is considered high-performance (> 200 MPa) and can be used for internal automobile components.