In-Depth Analysis of the Structure and Properties of Two Varieties of Natural Luffa Sponge Fibers

Abstract

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application because of its polyporous structure and light texture. To enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, the current study investigates their water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristics and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain and tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards while their structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fractured surface of fiber bundles. The test results show that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness, ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had substantial impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the density of fiber bundles of LS ranged within 385.46–468.70 kg/m3, significantly less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m3) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m3). However, LS fiber bundles demonstrated superior specific modulus than Arenga engleri.

Engineered cell‐to‐cell signalling within growing bacterial cellulose pellicles

“…Cellulose is a simple, yet versatile glucose polymer from which biology weaves a broad array of materials. It is one of nature's most abundant polymers, and can form the basis of materials that are light and elastic, such as a loofah, or structures that are strong and stiff like bamboo (Youssefian and Rahbar, ; Chen et al ., ). Cellulose is produced most abundantly by plants, however, a number of bacterial species naturally overproduce cellulose as part of their biofilm matrix, making a structure known as a pellicle (Römling and Galperin, ).…”

Properties of Two-Variety Natural Luffa Sponge Columns as Potential Mattress Filling Materials

“…The luffa sponge (LS) commonly referred to as vegetable sponge or luffa cloth, is obtained from matured dried fruit of luffa cylindrica. Luffa has a fibro-vascular reticulated structure and is made up of an open network of random lattices of small cross-sections coupled with extremely high porosity (79–93%) and high specific pore volume (21–29 cm 3 /g) [ 1 , 2 ]. This indicates that LS has a potential to act as a promising candidate for manufacturing light-weight mattresses with good air permeability (4507 L/m 2 ·s) [ 3 ].…”

“…This indicates that LS has a potential to act as a promising candidate for manufacturing light-weight mattresses with good air permeability (4507 L/m 2 ·s) [ 3 ]. Currently, LS is commonly used for dishwashing, bath sponge, cleaning automobiles, heat insulation, filters, packing materials, shock absorbers, and stuffing for pillows, saddles, shoulder pads, and shoe soles [ 1 , 4 ]. In addition, LS is also widely used in several other fields, such as pharmaceutical engineering [ 5 , 6 ], environmental engineering [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], biotechnology [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], and industrial products [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], and its good performance is attributed to its chemical stability.…”

“…In addition, LS is also widely used in several other fields, such as pharmaceutical engineering [ 5 , 6 ], environmental engineering [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], biotechnology [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], and industrial products [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], and its good performance is attributed to its chemical stability. Furthermore, LS fiber bundles show good moisture absorption [ 1 ]. Related research has revealed that the human body emits 200 to 300 mL of body moisture each night, and 25% of this emitted moisture from the body surface is absorbed by the mattress during sleep [ 18 ].…”

Engineered cell-to-cell signalling within growing bacterial cellulose pellicles

“…Cellulose is a simple, yet versatile glucose polymer from which biology weaves a broad array of materials. It is one of nature's most abundant polymers, and can form the basis of materials that are light and elastic, such as a loofah, or structures that are strong and stiff like bamboo (Youssefian et al, 2015;Chen et al, 2017). Cellulose is produced most abundantly by plants, however, a number of bacterial species naturally overproduce cellulose as part of their biofilm matrix, making a structure known as a pellicle (Römling et al, 2015).…”