Effects of mercerization in the chemical and morphological properties of amazon piassava

Abstract The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of mercerization on chemical, morphological and thermal properties of Amazon Piassava Fibers. The effect of this treatment was studied using XRF, SEM, XRD and TGA. The fibers have been treated in 5% and 10% NaOH for 60 min. The XRF results for treated and untreated fibers showed that there is a decrease in the amount of SiO 2 by increasing the NaOH concentration. It has been possible to observe through SEM in untreated fiber that the surface presents a well arranged pattern of silicon rich star-like protrusions. For the two co...