RESUMO
In this paper, fiber from the Mariscus ligularis (ML) plant was extracted and investigated as a naturally derived fiber for its potential as a reinforcement material for composite applications. Physical, morphological, chemical, thermal, and mechanical property analyses of the Mariscus ligularis fiber (MLF) were performed to evaluate its suitability as a reinforcement material while also generating useful data to serve as the basis for its selection in the development of new composite materials. Physical and morphological analysis results showed MLF as a lightweight fiber of diameter 243.6 µm and density 768.59 kg/m3 with a very rough surface that provides excellent interfacial bonding performance. Chemical and thermal results show MLF has mainly cellulose as its crystallized phase, with cellulose and wax contents of 58.32 % and 0.73 %, respectively, and possesses a 72.23 % crystallinity index and a 3.15 nm crystallite size with thermal stability up to 258 °C. The mechanical results show that the tensile strength, elastic modulus, strain to failure, and microfibril angle were in the ranges of 109-134 MPa, 3.27-5.06 GPa, 3.32-9.13 %, and 13.35-20.33°, respectively. These findings show MLF as a potential reinforcement material.