Influence of Surface Modification on Physical, Mechanical, and Morphological Properties of Natural Single Areca catechu Fiber

In the present study, fibers extracted from empty areca fruit were surface modified by giving chemical treatment with 2% NaOH solution at laboratory temperature to investigate the effect of alkali treatment on physical, mechanical, and morphological properties of Areca catechu fiber. Tensile strength and Young's modulus of areca fiber found to decrease with alkali treatment, but improvement in elongation at break of the fiber was observed for alkali treated fiber due to elimination of lignin and hemicelluloses from the fiber surface upon alkali treatment. The results proved that the natural Areca catechu fiber is a potential alternative source for strengthening the polymer composite industries.