부산대학교 도서관

The stems of Solanum trilobatum are moved to waste materials after the removal process of leaves for medical purposes. The present study focuses on performing characterization studies on the physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of untreated Solanum trilobatum stem fibers (STSFs) which are extracted from the stems. The density and cellulose content of STSFs are measured as 1.03 g/cm3 and 59.10%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) examination showed that the crystallinity index of STSFS is 45.89%. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy study confirmed the functional groups’ presence in the STSFs. Thermogravimetric (TG) examination shows that STSF is thermally steady up to 283.33 °C with a kinetic activation energy of 82.87 kJ/mol. The average roughness of STSFs was determined from the atomic force microscopic (AFM) study as 26.7082 nm and can be used for tribological application. The obtained results confirmed that the STSFs can be employed as reinforcement in the polymer matrix and open viable research on fiber treatment studies and making antibacterial lightweight products.