Extraction and Characterization Chemical Treated and Untreated Lycium ferocissimum Fiber for Epoxy Composites

Abstract

The current study deals with the extraction and characterization of natural cellulose fibers from Lycium ferocissimum plant stems. The fibers were retted using a manual retting process and were subjected to benzoylation treatment. The properties namely physio-chemical, thermal, crystalline, and morphological were measured for both untreated and chemical treated Lycium ferocissimum fibers. Then, the epoxy composites were fabricated using chemical treated and untreated Lycium ferocissimum fibers and analyzed for their mechanical performance. The cellulose content was 67.19%, with the crystalline index of 47.7% for the benzoyl chloride treated Lycium ferocissimum fibers, which were substantially higher than untreated Lycium ferocissimum fibers. While the epoxy composites containing benzoyl chloride treated Lycium ferocissimum fibers showed an increase in the ultimate flexural strength of 51.3 MPa, while it was 42 MPa for untreated Lycium ferocissimum fiber-based composite. Thus, the test results elucidated that benzoyl chloride treatment reduced Lycium ferocissimum fibers hydrophilicity that induced fiber wettability with the matrix to better mechanical properties compared to untreated Lycium ferocissimum fiber-based composites.

Keywords

• lycium ferocissimum
• natural cellulose fiber
• benzoyl chloride
• epoxy composite