Characterization of a novel natural cellulosic fiber from Calotropis gigantea fruit bunch for ecofriendly polymer composites

Abstract In this current research, the change in properties of alkali treatment on the physicochemical, structural, thermal and surface morphological properties of Calotropis gigantea fruit bunch (CGFB) fibers are investigated. The alkali-treatment was discovered to reduce the amorphous contents and removed the non-cellulosic components which were inveterate by the FTIR analysis. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the crystallinity index of the alkali-treated CGFB fibers was fairly higher than raw fibers. Thermal degradability and stability of alkali-treated Calotropis gigantea fruit bunch fibers were more than that of the untreated fiber. Scanning electron microscopy and Atomic force microscopy images showed the partially roughened surface of the fiber due to the removal of non-cellulosic elements and surface impurities during alkali treatment.