This study investigates the physical, structural, chemical, thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of the fibers of Calamus tenuis canes and compares the findings with various lignocellulosic fibers to find the place of these fibers as reinforcements for polymer composites. Chemical analysis confirms the presence of 37.43 ± 1.40% cellulose, 31.06 ± 1.03% hemicellulose, and 28.42 ± 0.81% lignin in Calamus tenuis cane fibers, moreover, the presence of these constituents is also confirmed by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis determines the crystallinity index of 37.38 ± 0.27% and the crystallite size of 0.87 ± 0.03 nm of the samples. The thermogravimetric analysis ensures that the Calamus tenuis cane fibers are thermally stable up to 210 ± 5 °C. The Weibull distribution analysis is employed to estimate the tensile properties of Calamus tenuis canes, which reveal a tensile strength of 37.5 ± 2 MPa, Young's modulus of 1.05 ± 0.08 GPa, and an elongation at break of 18.94 ± 4.26%. The roughness of the fibers' outer surface is confirmed by SEM micrographs and AFM analysis, suggesting that it could enhance the adhesion between fibers and matrix during the fabrication of composites.

This study explores the effect of alkali treatment at ambient (25 °C) and elevated temperatures (100 °C) on the physicochemical, structural, morphological, and thermal properties of Calamus tenuis cane fibers (CTCFs) for the first time. Our purpose is to investigate their potential use as reinforcement in polymer composites, since cane fibers are generally known for their accurate and consistent geometrical orientation. Treatment with 8% (w/v) sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is carried out at ambient temperature and at 100 °C for 4 h. Chemical analysis and Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR) indicate some removal of non-cellulosic elements from CTCFs during alkali treatment, resulting in increased surface roughness, as confirmed by using SEM micrographs. This removal of non-cellulosic elements leads to an enhancement in the density of the treated CTCFs. Untreated and treated fibers are analyzed for maximum degradation temperature, thermal stability, and kinetic activation energy (E_a) using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In particular, E_a was considerably diminished with treatment and temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show an improved crystallinity index (37.38% to 44.02%) and crystallite size (2.73 nm to 2.98 nm) for fibers treated with 8% NaOH at ambient temperature. In conclusion, a general benefit was achieved by treating CTCFs, though the influence of increasing temperature treatment appears controversial.