Alkali-Induced Multiscale Structural Transformation of Borassus flabellifer Fiber for High-Performance Sustainable Applications
Shariful Islam, Md. Mohibul Islam Khan, Nahid Hasan Shakil
Email: mohibulche@buft.edu.bd
Download pdf
Download pdf
Article Information
Cite
This work investigates how a controlled alkali treatment modifies Borassus Flabellifer (Palmyra) leaf stalk fibers to create a high-performance and sustainable natural material. The fibers were exposed to 4% NaOH for 72 hours, resulting in pronounced structural transformations across multiple length scales and substantial enhancements in functional properties. Alkali treatment induced the development of nanoscale porosity (5-20 nm), which facilitated better moisture transport and increased moisture regain to 12.3%, exceeding that of traditional jute fibers. At the same time, fibril reorientation and the elimination of amorphous components raised cellulose crystallinity to 70%, producing a 3205% increase in tenacity (16.02 cN/dTex). Additionally surface activation through micro pitting significantly improved interfacial shear strength by 48% indicating strong potential for composite reinforcement. Statistical evaluation using ANNOVA, correlation analysis, multivariate regression and Weibull reliability modeling confirmed the significance of treatment effect while highlighting inherent strength variability characteristics of natural fibers. Despite challenges related to mechanical scatter and moisture induced degradation, the findings demonstrate that alkali treated palmyra fiber can be effectively engineered for applications in high humidity textiles, polymer composites and biomedical delivery system. Overall, this work presents a scalable strategy for converting agricultural residues into value-added materials and introduce a transferable tripartite optimization framework based on nanopore development, fibrillar restructuring, and surface modification for advanced lignocellulosic fiber design.