title: Preparation and characterization of regenerated cellulose films using borassus fruit fibers and an ionic liquid.
abstract: In this study, we successfully extracted cellulose from borassus fruit fibers by chemical process. The extracted cellulose was dissolved in an ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl). Using this solution, regenerated cellulose films were prepared with water as the non solvent. The raw fruit fibers and extracted cellulose were characterized by chemical analysis. The results indicated that the content of the components other than cellulose was significantly decreased during the cellulose extraction process. Further, FTIR,13CP-MAS NMR, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to provide structural characterization of raw fibers, extracted cellulose and regenerated cellulose films. The average tensile strength, modulus and elongation at break of the regenerated cellulose films were found to be 111±19MPa, 6149±603MPa and 3.1±0.8%, respectively. The notable properties of regenerated cellulose films advocate their effectiveness for various industrial applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: kanchor@unisa.ac.za.
authors.forename: K Obi
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: C Uma
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Maheswari
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dhlamini
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Mothudi
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Lab Engineering Plastics, Institue of chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jinming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Lab Engineering Plastics, Institue of chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Composite Materials, International Research Centre, Kalasalingam University, Anand Nagar, KrishnanKovil, 626126, India.
authors.forename: Rajini
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagarajan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Composite Materials, International Research Centre, Kalasalingam University, Anand Nagar, KrishnanKovil, 626126, India.
authors.forename: A Varada
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Rajulu
mesh_terms: D028023:Arecaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D052578:Ionic Liquids; D002482:Cellulose; C012024:rayon, purified
keywords: Borassus fruit fibers; Crystallinity; Ionic liquid; Regenerated cellulose; Spectroscopy; Thermal stability