Extraction and Characterisation of Leaf Fibres from Pandanus atrocarpus, Pandanus amaryllifolius, and Ananas comosus

Pandanus atrocarpus, Pandanus amaryllifolius, and Ananas comosus plants are abundantly found in Malaysia. This study reports on the water retting extracting leaf fibres method, the morphology, chemical structure (functional groups), thermal stability, and dielectric properties of the P. atrocarpus, P. amaryllifolius, and A. comosus leaf fibres. Morphological analysis showed that the average diameter of leaf fibres is 445.5 µm for P. atrocarpus, 226.3 µm for P. amaryllifolius, and 311.2 µm for A. comosus. The presence of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin in the leaf fibres was detected in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) indicates that the leaf fibres are thermally stable up to a temperature of 220°C. Differential thermogravimetric (DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves revealed a consistent thermal behaviour of the leaf fibres, where hemicellulose and cellulose decomposed at 275.0 and 355.3°C, respectively. Incorporation of the leaf fibres from P. atrocarpus, P. amaryllifolius, and A. comosus into epoxy composites enhanced the dielectric properties performance of epoxy. Overall, the findings from this study suggest that the leaf fibres from P. atrocarpus, P. amaryllifolius, and A. comosus are potentially useful for diversifying polymerisation for high-frequency applications.