Tensile and structural characterization of alkali treated Borassus fruit fine fibers

Borassus fine fibers possess superior tensile properties and are an important renewable, natural reinforcement material for composites. This paper reports the improved tensile properties of natural fibers extracted from Borassus fruit. Changes occurring in Borassus fibers when treated with a 5% concentration sodium hydroxide solution for different periods (1, 4, 8 and 12 h) were characterized using tensile testing, chemical analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The tensile properties (strength, modulus and % elongation) of the fibers improved by 41, 69 and 40% respectively, after 8 h of alkali treatment. Based on the properties determined for the Borassus fibers, we expect that these fibers will be suitable for use as a reinforcement in green composites. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.