Chemo-physical Evaluation of Some Tropical Spider Fibers in Selected Local Government Areas of Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Spider fibers, celebrated for its remarkable strength and elasticity, shows great potential in diverse industrial applications,especially in fields like textiles and biodegradable materials. This research examined the mechanical, chemical and physicalproperties of tropical spider fibers and their potential use in various fields, such as textile manufacturing and biodegradablematerials. Through a thorough analysis and comparison of samples collected from three Local Government Areas of BenueState, Nigeria, this study provides valuable insights into the unique properties of these spider fibers and their potentialapplications. Three different load cells from 1N to 5N and particle sizes of colloidal particles GSP (10mm, 20mm and 30mm)were used varied in 10%, 20% and 30% wt. FTIR, mechanical and physical properties of the spider fibers were evaluated andit shows that spider fiber has excellent structure properties. The FTIR properties include the absorbance and frequency;mechanical properties were tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and stress-strain. The absorption rate of allsamples increased with increase in filler content. This was because proactive fibers were formed at the infrared spectroscopyat the mid IR beam line which indicated that fibers less likely to absorb water density generally decreased with increase in forceapplied on it. This is related to the fact that the spider fiber is light in weight but occupy substantial of toughness. Tensilestrength of the fiber increased with increase in reinforcement as a result of treatment from organic compounds Amide. This isso, because smaller particles sizes have higher total surface energy for a given particle and also has more efficient stress transfermechanism. The results show that the tropical spider fibers studied possess high tensile strength, good elasticity, and uniquestructural properties, making them highly suitable for use in various industries. This research contributes to the existingknowledge on spider fibers and provides a strong foundation for further research and development in this area. Overall, thefindings of this study demonstrate the potential of these spider fibers as a sustainable and versatile material with numerousapplications.