Improving the Thermal Stability and Functionality of Bamboo Fibers by Electroless Plating

As environmental stress is caused by using fossil-based plastics, bamboo fibers (BFs), as one of the important natural materials, have received more and more attention. However, their poor thermal stability and lack of functionality largely limit their wider application. In this work, the electroless plating method was used to improve the thermal stability of the BFs and impart this function. It was found that the amount of metal deposition was the main factor affecting the thermal stability of BFs. A critical value existed, above which the surface of BFs could be completely covered by a plating layer, resulting in much enhanced thermal stability. The initial degradation temperature of BFs could be improved by 31 °C, as detected by TG. XRD and TG-FTIR spectroscopy were used to further understand the observed increase in thermal stability induced by electroless plating. It is suggested that the coating layer could block the invasion of external O2, thus delaying the degradation time and the pyrolysis rate. It is also very interesting to find that hygroscopicity and electrical and magnetic properties could be simultaneously improved. Our work provides a new method for the modification of BFs, which is important for the application of BFs.