Physico-chemical properties of alkali- treated Artocarpus Heterophyllus fiber for reinforcement applications

Abstract In the present work, the Physico-chemical properties of Artocarpus Heterophyllus(AH) was investigated. The properties of the prepared samples were characterized using SEM, XRD, FTIR and Tensile strength analysis. The core part of Artocarpus Heterophyllus fiber is alkali treated and its characteristic have been analyzed for raw and alkali treated. This characteristic study reveals that the fiber can be extensively used as a good reinforcement for composite materials through its characteristic study. The result of XRD analysis show the crystallite size of the alkali treated fiber is high and similar in comparison with raw fiber. The mechanical strength of the fiber is increased due to alkali treatment. The SEM analysis shows the presence of impurities at the surface and it has been removed by alkali treatment. .FTIR spectroscopy showed the various functional groups with strong absorption bands, available in the core part of AH fiber. The maximum improvement of tensile strength and Young’s modulus was observed in alkali treated fiber.