Piassava Fibers: Morphologic and Spectroscopic Aspects

摘要

The use of natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites is being considered by many different industries, for instance, the automotive industry where components such as interior panel and cushion seat are being manufactured using NLFs. The piassava fiber is a less characterized NLF when compared to sisal or jute, although the properties displayed by the piassava fiber make them suitable as reinforcement to composite materials. Therefore, this work aimed to present a morphological analysis of the piassava fiber by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as studied the spectroscopy aspects of this fiber by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The SEM analysis revealed differences in their shape and size as well as a rough aspect associated with a great number of protrusions. While the FTIR analysis showed a hydrophilic character of the fibers due to the presence of axil vibration of hydroxyl groups band between 3500 and 3300 cm~(-1).