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Influence of NaOH treatment on physical, chemical, thermal, and morphological behavior of aloe vera, banana, and corn husk fiber

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Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of deploying aloe vera, banana, and corn husk fibers that have been treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as reinforcements in composites. The application of NaOH treatment resulted in a substantial enhancement in the tensile strength of all fibers. Among them, banana fibers exhibited the greatest value, reaching 189.7 MPa. The fibers that were treated also showed elevated aspect ratios, especially in the case of banana fibers (178.57), indicating an increased potential for reinforcing. The use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the treatment resulted in a surface morphology that was roughened. The fibers that were treated showed enhanced thermal stability, as determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). FT-IR spectroscopy verified changes in the chemical composition of the fibers, while XRD examination revealed that both untreated and treated fibers had a structure that was both amorphous and polycrystalline. The results emphasize the potential of NaOH-treated natural fibers, particularly banana fibers due to their exceptional strength, as eco-friendly substitutes for synthetic reinforcements in composites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, A.V.C. College of Engineering, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, 609 305, India

    R. Purushothaman & A. Balaji

  2. Department of Chemistry, A.V.C. College of Engineering, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, 609 305, India

    J. Swaminathan

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  1. R. Purushothaman
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Contributions

R. Purushothaman: conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing—original draft.

A. Balaji: supervision, review and editing, validation.

J. Swaminathan: investigation, formal analysis, visualization.

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Correspondence to R. Purushothaman.

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Purushothaman, R., Balaji, A. & Swaminathan, J. Influence of NaOH treatment on physical, chemical, thermal, and morphological behavior of aloe vera, banana, and corn husk fiber. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05740-w

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