Characterization of raw and treated Arundo donax L. cellulosic fibers and their effect on the curing kinetics of bisphenol A-based benzoxazine.

In the present work, giant reed cellulosic fibers (Arundo donax L., RF) were explored as reinforcement of bisphenol A-based benzoxazine (BA-a). RF were extracted from giant reed cane, and subjected to different chemical treatments using either alkaline, silane or their combining treatments. The examination of the structural, thermal, crystallinity and morphological properties of the untreated (NRF) and treated fibers (TRF) was carried out using different analytical techniques. Broadly, the morphology of the treated fibers is affected, their crystallinity and thermal stability increased. The investigation of the effect of the treated fibers on the curing kinetics of composites based on BA-a was performed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique, under non-isothermal conditions, and isoconversional integral kinetic methods. A decrease in the heat of curing as well as activation energy (Ea) was reported. The Avrami-Erofeev autocatalytic kinetic model was the most appropriate to describe the curing reactions and the predicted curves from the calculated kinetic parameters fitted well with experimental data.