As a part of sustainable development in construction, natural fibers are used as reinforcement in cement composites. The degradation of these natural fibers in matrix has led to growing interest among researchers to enhance the fiber properties by adopting suitable treatment techniques. This research focuses on examining the influence of alkali treatment on various aspects, including the physical, chemical, crystallinity, mechanical and surface characteristics of palmyra fibers. Herein, the palmyra fibers were immersed in alkaline solution for different duration (30 minutes, 60 minutes and 120 minutes) to arrive at optimum treatment period. The investigation utilizes XRD, FTIR, SEM and EDS analysis to gain insights into these properties. The findings indicated that the treatment effectively removed excess amorphous components like extractives, hemicellulose and lignin leading to the increase in crystallinity index and surface roughness. The crystallinity index increased by 11 %, 13 % and 23 % for 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 120 minutes treatment respectively. The water absorption of palmyra fibers reduced by 13 %, 14 % and 14 % for 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 120 minutes treatment duration respectively. Additionally, SEM-EDS exhibited best results for 60 min treatment of fibers, with 38 % increase in Oxygen to Carbon ratio of cellulose compared to untreated fibers. Among the different treatment duration, the 60 minutes treatment duration of fibers in 0.5 M sodium hydroxide solution has exhibited considerable enhancement in properties. These enhancements in palmyra fiber properties post-alkali treatment suggests their potential utility in the reinforcement of composites using alkali treated palmyra fibers.

中文翻译：

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碱处理对棕榈纤维理化和形貌特性的影响


作为建筑业可持续发展的一部分，天然纤维被用作水泥复合材料的增强材料。这些天然纤维在基质中的降解导致研究人员越来越感兴趣，希望通过采用适当的处理技术来增强纤维特性。本研究的重点是考察碱处理对棕榈纤维物理、化学、结晶度、机械和表面特性等各个方面的影响。在此，将棕榈纤维浸入碱性溶液中不同持续时间（30 分钟、60 分钟和 120 分钟）以达到最佳处理期。该调查利用 XRD、FTIR、SEM 和 EDS 分析来深入了解这些特性。研究结果表明，该处理有效去除了过量的无定形成分，如提取物、半纤维素和木质素，导致结晶度指数和表面粗糙度增加。结晶度指数分别在 30 分钟、60 分钟和 120 分钟处理中增加了 11 %、13 % 和 23 %。在 13 分钟、14 分钟和 30 分钟的治疗持续时间内，棕榈纤维的吸水率分别降低了 14 %、60 % 和 120 %。此外，SEM-EDS 在纤维 60 分钟处理方面表现出最佳效果，与未处理的纤维相比，纤维素的氧碳比增加了 38%。在不同的处理持续时间中，纤维在 0.5 M 氢氧化钠溶液中的 60 分钟处理持续时间在性能上表现出相当大的增强。碱处理后 palmyra 纤维性能的这些增强表明它们在使用碱处理的 palmyra 纤维增强复合材料方面具有潜在效用。