Morphological characterization and properties of cattail fibers

Abstract

To extend the applications of cattail fibers in the textile, engineering and apparel industry, the morphological structure and properties of cattail fibers were tested and analyzed. The morphology was examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an optical microscope. The results show that the cross-sections of the cattail fibers were in the shapes of "p" or "Y" or ">-<"; the fiber length and fineness were mainly in ranges of 2.25-10.65 mm and 10-15 μm, respectively; there were about 56 fibers in a cattail cluster. The moisture-regain rate and mass ratio of the resistor of cattail fibers were measured to be 7.57 % and 1012.5 W•g/cm 2. In this case, the composition of the cattail fiber was similar to that of the kapok fiber. In addition, its pH value was found to be 6.7, which is harmless to the human body and the pectin content of the cattail fibers was found to be 1.013 %, which is similar to the cotton fibers. Furthermore, the acid resistance of the cattail fibers is better than their alkali resistance. Keywords: cattail fiber, morphological structure, properties Avtorji prispevka so testirali in analizirali morfolo{ko strukturo in lastnosti rogoznih vlaken, da bi raz{irili njihovo uporabo v tekstilni industriji in in`enirstvu. Morfologijo vlaken so analizirali pod opti~nim in vrsti~nim elektronskim mikroskopom (SEM; angl.: Scanning Electron Microscope). Raziskave so pokazale, da so vlakna v preseku razli~nih oblik: "p"," Y " ali ">-<"; dol`ina vlaken je bila ve~inoma med 2,25 mm in 10,65 mm in debelina (premer) med 10 μm in 15 μm. V vsakem rogoznem svitku (stroku) je okoli 56 vlaken. Vsak strok se navla`i s pribli`no 7,57 % vode in ima specifi~no elektri~no upornost pribl. 1012,5 W•g/cm 2. Sestava njihovih vzorcev je bila podobna sestavi vlaken kapokovca. Poleg tega imajo vlakna pH vrednost 6,7, kar je ne{kodljivo za~love{ko telo. Izmerjena vsebnost pektina v rogoznih vlaknih je bila 1,013 %, kar je podobno kot v vlaknih bomba`a. Nadalje avtorji ugotavljajo, da je odpornost vlaken proti kislinam bolj{a kot njihova odpornost proti bazam. Klju~ne besede: rogozna vlakna, morfolo{ka struktura, lastnosti

Utilization of Waste Natural Fibers Mixed with Polylactic Acid (PLA) Bicomponent Fiber: Incorporating Kapok and Cattail Fibers for Nonwoven Medical Textile Applications

“…Cattail fibers, categorized as waste biomass, constitute lignocellulosic fibers composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, and wax. They demonstrate resistance to acidic environments but are susceptible to alkaline conditions [ 15 ]. Their versatile use includes applications in oil sorption [ 16 ], supercapacitors [ 17 ], and high-capacity anode material [ 18 ], and they are safe for direct human contact due to a pH of 6.7 [ 15 ].…”

“…They demonstrate resistance to acidic environments but are susceptible to alkaline conditions [ 15 ]. Their versatile use includes applications in oil sorption [ 16 ], supercapacitors [ 17 ], and high-capacity anode material [ 18 ], and they are safe for direct human contact due to a pH of 6.7 [ 15 ]. Similarly, kapok fibers, known for their thin cell wall and large lumen, have traditionally been used as stuffing material in items like pillows and life jackets [ 14 , 19 ].…”