Mechanical and morphological analysis of cellulose extracted from sisal fibers and their effect on bio-based composites mechanical properties

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the viability of untreated sisal fibers (N.F.), NaOH-treated sisal fibers (NaOH.F.) and cellulose extracted from sisal (CELL.F.) as an alternative to synthetic materials to produce biocomposites. The main objective was to conduct an in-depth study of the properties of these fibers whose aim is to limit matrix/fiber slippage and improve adhesion by modifying reinforcement surfaces, and to improve the efficiency of sisal fibers as reinforcements for composite materials using various analytical techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, the study aimed to produce a composite material by reinforcing plaster with the aforementioned fibers and then compare the mechanical and physical properties of the resulting material. The results showed that cellulose fibers exhibited higher mechanical strength and better compatibility with the plaster-matrix compared to sisal fibers by an increse of 324% in their tensil strength compared to natural sial fibers. In particular, the flexural strength showed a significant increase of 35% in the cellulose fiber reinforced composite. The reinforced composite material exhibited improved properties such as better flexural strength, increased absorption by 12.8% and descres the density by 21.3%, highlighting the promising prospects of cellulose fibers in advancing biocomposite technology.