Characterization of natural fiber from manau rattan (Calamus manan) as a potential reinforcement for polymer-based composites

Researches on novel natural fibers in polymer-based composites will help promote the invention of novel reinforcement and expand their possible applications. Herein, in this study, novel cellulosic fibers were extracted from the stem of manau rattan (Calamus manan) by mechanical separation. The chemical, thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of manau rattan fibers were comprehensively analyzed and studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), single fiber tensile test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Component analysis results showed that the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents of C. manan fibers were 42wt%, 20wt%, and 27wt%, respectively. The surface of the rattan fiber was hydrophilic according to the oxygen/carbon ratio of 0.49. The C. manan has a crystalline index of 48.28%, inducing a maximum degradation temperature of 332.8 °C. This reveals that it can be used as a reinforcement for thermoplastic composites whose operating temperature is below 300 °C. The average tensile strength can reach (273.28 ± 52.88) MPa, which is beneficial to improve the mechanical properties of rattan fiber reinforced composites. The SEM images displayed the rough surface of the fiber, which helped to enhance the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and matrices in composites. These results indicate the great potential of C. manan fibers as the reinforcement in polymer-based composites.