Preparation and characterization of biodegradable sugarcane bagasse nano reinforcement for polymer composites using ball milling operation
ABSTRACT The present work includes the processing and characterization of nano based natural reinforcement for polymer composite materials. Sugarcane bagasse has been collected and the fibers were extracted using manual striping process. Undesirable materials present in the extracted fibers were removed by 1% NaOH based chemical treatment. The macrofibers were reduced to nano scale by using high energy ball milling process. Nanoparticles from bagasse fibers were characterized by X ray diffraction (XRD) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) The degree of crystallinity of nano bagasse is 55.2% and it was reported by using XRD. A FTIR spectrum confirms the presence of cellulose functional groups in nano bagasse. The nano bagasse dimensions and morphology were investigated using SEM. The average length and diameter of the nano bagasse is 51.2 and 46.1 nm, respectively. Thermal stability of the nano bagasse was revealed by TGA analysis. The chemical composition of cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose contents was also investigated.