Physio – Mechanical and Chemical Behaviors of Surface Modified Coconut Inflorescence Fiber

The need for bio-friendly composite has triggered researchers to explore several natural lignocellulose fibers. The promising properties of the fibers resulted in natural fibers to be used as potential alternate for synthetic man-made fibers. The present work deals with exploration of physical, chemical and mechanical properties of coconut inflorescence fibers. The coconut inflorescence fibers are extracted by the process of retting and then the fibers are subjected to surface modification with KOH. The amorphous constituents present in the fibers were eroded and significant improvements in properties of the fibers were observed. XRD and FTIR analysis confirmed the removal of functional groups and crystallinity improvement were also observed. Single fiber tensile test confronted the improvement in tensile properties of the fibers. Increase in fiber diameter was also observed as a result of surface modifications done on the fiber surfaces. Finally SEM analysis confirmed the removal of wax and other oil covering materials present on the surface of the fibers.