Polymer deposition in sisal fibers: A structural investigation

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Abstract
Sisal (Agave sisalana) fibers were graft copolymerized with certain vinyl monomers (methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate) using gamma irradiation and ceric ammonium nitrate as initiation techniques. Examinations of the surface topology and the internal structure of the grafted fibers made by scanning electron microscopy. The results derived from the SEM observations on transverse sections of the grafted fibers were supplemented by information obtained by polarized light microscopy. Polymer was deposited not only on the surface of the fiber substrate, but also in the lumen, the middle lamellae, and throughout the cell wall network of the multicellular aggregates. The degree of polymer inclusion in the lumen (which is the most conspicuous of all the available internal sites) was found to depend on the percentage graft copolymer add‐on, as well as on the previous history of the fiber (natural or chemically modified). The mechanical properties of the grafted fibers were investigated (by means of an Instron tensile tester).