Abstract

Today, new materials based on natural fibres have been emerging day by day to completely eradicate plastics to favour our environmental nature. In this view, the present work is based on the extraction and characterisation of the novel root fibres of the Zea mays (Zm) plant, grown by the hydroponic method. Both the dried untreated and alkali treated root fibres are investigated using a variety of structural, morphological, thermal, elemental and mechanical tests by subjecting both the samples to p-XRD, FT-IR, SEM-EDAX, TGA-DTA, CHNS and tensile strength analyses. Thermal conductivity of the untreated and treated fibres is found using Lee's disc experiment. From p-XRD analysis, the Crystallinity Index, Percentage Crystallinity and Crystallite size of the samples are found. FT-IR studies clarify the different vibrational groups associated with the fibre samples. SEM images show that the surface roughness increases for the chemically treated samples, such that it may be effectively utilised as reinforcement for polymeric composites. The diameter of the fibre samples is found using SEM analysis. According to the EDAX spectrum, Zm fibres in both their raw and processed forms have high levels of Carbon (C) and Oxygen (O). The TGA-DTA tests revealed that the samples of natural fibre have good thermal characteristics. CHNS studies show that Carbon content is high for these samples, which is the characteristic of many natural fibres. Chemical analysis is used to ascertain the prepared samples' chemical makeup. It reveals that both samples have significant amounts of cellulose. The density of the fibres is found to be in the range 0.3-0.6 g/cc, which is much less than any other natural fibre. Therefore, it can be used in light weight applications. From the tensile strength analysis, physical properties such as Young's modulus and micro-fibril angle are determined. The fibres in the roots exhibit a lower tensile strength. Thus, these fibres can be used in powdered form as reinforcement for natural rubber or epoxy composites. After examining all of its properties, it could be reasonably speculated that Zea mays root fibres can be considered as an efficient reinforcement for various matrices to produce attractive bio-composites.