Effect of Impregnated Inorganic Nanoparticles on the Properties of the Kenaf Bast Fibers

Fibers

Kaiwen Liang¹  Sheldon Q. Shi¹ 

[1] Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: kenaf;    nanoparticle;    impregnation;    Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM);    X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS);    Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM);   

DOI  :  10.3390/fib2030242

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The objective of this research was to evaluate the properties of the chemically retted kenaf bast fiber impregnated with the inorganic nanoparticles. High quality kenaf bast fibers were obtained from a chemical retting process. An in situ inorganic nanoparticle impregnation (INI) process was used to introduce the CaCO₃ nanoparticles into the retted kenaf bast fibers. It was found that some of the lignin-based components in the retted fibers were further removed during the INI treatment. From the characterization results, the inorganic nanoparticles CaCO₃, with different shapes and sizes, appeared at the surface of the impregnated fiber after treatment. Heterogeneous CaCO₃ nanoparticle distribution was observed on the INI treated fibers. The CaCO₃ contents were different at different locations along the impregnated fiber. The presence of CaCO₃ inorganic nanoparticles at the fiber surface increased the root mean square (RMS) surface roughness by 5.8% and decreased the hydrophilic nature of the retted fibers, evidenced by a 59.4% decrease in adhesion force between the fiber and hydrophilic AFM tip. In addition, the impregnation of CaCO₃ dramatically increased the Young’s modulus of the fiber by 344%.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.