| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India Postgraduate Department of Chemistry, Sree Sankara College, Ernakulam, India;2. Department of Applied Chemistry, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India;3. Department of Chemistry, Sacred Heart College, Cochin, India;4. Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia;5. Factory of the Future, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia;6. Natural Composites Research Group Lab, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok, Thailand |
| Abstract: | Acacia caesia (L.) Willd (soap bark) fiber is an abundant natural resource, that is rich in cellulose. The study reports the effective utilization of underutilized Acacia caesia fiber for the isolation of nanocellulose whiskers. The nanocellulose whiskers were isolated successfully from Acacia caesia fibers by following alkali, bleaching, and sulfuric acid treatment. The obtained nanocellulose whiskers were carefully investigated for its chemical composition, structure, morphology, crystallinity, and thermal stability. The chemical composition and Fourier transform infrared spectra of nanocellulose whiskers showed the elimination of the non-cellulosic parts present in the raw Acacia caesia fibers. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed an upsurge in the crystallinity of the cellulose fibers after the chemical treatments. The isolation of nanocellulose whiskers from Acacia caesia raw fiber was confirmed by electron microscopy analysis. The thermogravimetric analysis showed remarkably high char residue for the nanocellulose whiskers compared to raw fibers. Based on the properties of nanocellulose whiskers, it can be concluded that the nanocellulose whiskers produced from Acacia caesia raw fibers are potential reinforcing material for developing high-performance green composites. |
