Effect of Alkalization on Characterization of Ripe Bulrush (Typha Domingensis) Grass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Abstract

Ripe Bulrush fibers (RBFs) is one of the grass fibers that have the potential to replace synthetic fibers. This work focuses on the effect of alkalization on characterization of Ripe Bulrush fiber-reinforced composites (RBRCs). The composites are fabricated by compression molding process and the characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies have been carried out. From the results, it is found that the significant improvement in properties and more thermal stability due to the alkalization.

Keywords

• ripe bulrush fibers
• alkali treatment
• epoxy composites
• fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy
• x-ray diffraction
• thermo-gravimetric analysis