Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Short Arecanut Leaf Sheath Fiber Reinforced Polypropyline Composites: TGA, DSC and SEM Analysis

Short arecanut leaf sheath (ALS) fiber (2-3 mm) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by compression molding technique. Heat and cold press were used. Chemical composition of the fiber was analyzed and the percents of lignin, α-cellulose and hemicellulose were determined. Fiber content in the composites was optimized with the extent of mechanical properties and composites with 10% arecanut leaf sheath fiber showed higher mechanical properties. Tensile strength (TS), Bending strength (BS), elongation at break (EB%), water absorption capacity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and biodegradation properties of arecanut leaf sheath/PP composites were investigated. ATR spectra of the polypropylene and composites were also analyzed.