Muhammad Faiq Abdullah.
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Preferred name
Muhammad Faiq Abdullah.
Official Name
Muhammad Faiq, Abdullah
Alternative Name
Abdullah, Muhammad Faiq bin
Abdullah, Muhammad Faiq
Faiq, A. M.
Abdullah, M. F.
Main Affiliation
Scopus Author ID
55550154100
Researcher ID
P-2035-2018

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An alkaline deep eutectic solvent based on potassium carbonate and glycerol as pretreatment for the isolation of cellulose nanocrystals from empty fruit bunch

2020-02-01 , Gan P.G. , Sam Sung Ting , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah , Mohd Firdaus Omar , Tan L.S.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were successfully isolated from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) using sulphuric acid hydrolysis preceded by alkaline deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment and bleaching. In this study, an alkaline DES consisting of potassium carbonate and glycerol (molar ratio of 1:7) was used as the pretreatment solvent to promote the dissolution of lignin and hemicellulose. The processing parameters of acid hydrolysis were optimized using Box-Behnken Design. The results showed that the yield of CNC was 37.1%, under the optimal conditions of 60.0 wt% acid concentration at 46.1 °C for 58.5 min. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), chemical composition analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results indicated that unwanted impurities, such as hemicellulose and lignin, were efficiently eliminated from the raw EFB fibers by DES pretreatment and bleaching. The average diameter of CNC was less than 10 nm. The raw EFB fiber, treated cellulose, and CNC showed crystallinities of 38.7%, 51.2%, and 65.3%, respectively. The CNC had lower thermal stability, which was ascribed to the sulphate group present on the CNC surface.

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Thermal properties of nanocellulose-reinforced composites: A review

2020-03-15 , Gan P.G. , Sam Sung Ting , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah , Mohd Firdaus Omar

Nanocellulose has received increasing attention in science and industry in recent years as a nanoscale material for the reinforcement of polymer matrix composites due to its superior mechanical properties, renewability, and biodegradability. New nanocellulose sources, modifications, and treatments are under development to reduce the high energy required during production and to create a more suitable industrial-scale production process. Thus, this paper reviews plant-based nanocellulose composites and their properties, with a focus on their thermal-related characteristics. The purpose of this review is to establish for readers the impact of the incorporation of nanocellulose on the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of nanocellulose composites. Understanding of the thermal properties is important for researchers to assess the suitability of the nanocomposites for a variety of applications in response to new and evolving societal requirements. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48544.

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Effect of glutaraldehyde as crosslinker on the properties of cellulose nanocrystal/chitosan films

2020-11-24 , Gan P.G. , Sam S.T. , Mohd Firdaus Omar , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were isolated from the empty fruit bunch as the reinforcing filler to enhance the tensile and thermal properties of chitosan films. The addition of CNC has greatly increased the tensile strength of the chitosan films from 32.9 MPa for neat chitosan film to 50.9 MPa for 5 wt% CNC/chitosan films. The addition of glutaraldehyde as crosslinker has further improved the tensile property of chitosan films. However, the incorporation of CNC and glutaraldehyde has a negative effect on the elongation at break of the films due to restricted polymer chain mobility. Besides, the addition of CNC also enhanced the melting temperature of the chitosan films. The crosslinking process has further increased the melting temperature to 112.8 C with the addition of 5 wt% CNC. Therefore, the crosslinked CNC/chitosan films display greater property reinforcements than non-crosslinked films.

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Isolation of cellulose nanocrystals from rice husks using natural deep eutectic solvent

2024-07 , Nur Ain Natasya Ramli , Sam Sung Ting , Ahmad Radi Wan Yaakub , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are highly crystalline, rod-shaped nanoparticles derived from cellulose, commonly found in biomass such as rice husks. Rice husks, an agricultural waste rich in cellulose, can be utilized for CNC production. In this study, CNCs were isolated from rice husks using a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES), an environmentally friendly solvent. The objective was to examine the effects of temperature and reaction time on CNC solubility during dissolution with NADES. The one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method revealed that the optimal conditions were at temperature of 120°C and a reaction time of 8 hours. Morphological analysis using microscopy showed that raw rice husks had a rough, solid, brown appearance, while alkaline-treated rice husks appeared smoother and more porous. Bleached rice husks exhibited a very smooth, white, and fluffy appearance, and CNCs appeared as transparent solids. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated the presence of β-glycosidic linkages in all three samples (CNCs, alkaline-treated, and bleached rice husks), suggesting that the cellulose structure remained intact during pretreatment. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using the disc diffusion method, confirming that raw, alkaline-treated, and bleached rice husks, as well as CNCs isolated from rice husks, exhibited antibacterial properties against both gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and gram-positive bacteria (B. subtilis). This study successfully isolated CNCs from rice husks using NADES, demonstrating the potential for further improvements to enhance production efficiency.

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Comparative study on the properties of cross-linked cellulose nanocrystals/chitosan film composites with conventional heating and microwave curing

2020-12-20 , Gan P.G. , Sam Sung Ting , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah , Mohd Firdaus Omar , Tan W.K.

Cross-linking of chitosan film composites was carried out by using conventional heating and microwave curing methods in this study. Non-cross-linked and glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linked neat chitosan and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)/chitosan film composites were cured by either conventional oven heating or microwave irradiation. Tensile strength and Young's modulus of chitosan composites were enhanced significantly by the addition of CNC and GA especially for the microwave-cured samples. The changes in chemical interaction of the chitosan film composites was determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The microwave-cured GA-cross-linked chitosan film composites were more thermally stable than non-cross-linked and conventionally heated GA-cross-linked chitosan film composites due to the formation of a more stable structure between GA and chitosan. Nevertheless, the reduced antimicrobial efficacy of film composites against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was observed in cross-linked film composites compared with non-cross-linked composites.

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Fabrication of poly(lactic acid)-cellulose acetate core-shell electrospun fibers with improved tensile strength and biocompatibility for bone tissue engineering

2023-07-01 , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah , Andriyana A. , Muhamad F. , Ang B.C.

The employment of individual poly(lactic acid) (PLA) or cellulose acetate (CA) electrospun fibers as bone tissue replacement was restricted by the weak mechanical properties of CA and the poor cell-affinity of PLA. In this study, core-shell fibers with PLA as the core component and CA as the shell layer were fabricated via coaxial electrospinning with significant improvements in the tensile strength and biocompatibility in comparison to individual PLA and CA fibers and blend PLA/CA fibers. The employment of a core-to-shell flow rate ratio of 0.25:0.5 mL/hr:mL/hr resulted in the formation of defect-free and uniformly distributed PLA-CA core-shell fibers (cs-PLA1-CA2) with the highest ultimate tensile strength (19.53 ± 1.68 MPa) and Young’s modulus (0.62 ± 0.09 GPa) among all core-shell fibers produced in this study. These tensile values match the tensile properties of native cancellous bone and represent around a 130% and 160% improvement in strength and stiffness compared to monolithic CA fibers, respectively. Higher weight fraction and improved crystallinity of PLA-core were revealed to contribute to this mechanical enhancement of cs-PLA1-CA2. An in vitro biocompatibility study was conducted using human fetal osteoblasts (hFOB). The results indicate improved cell distribution, better cell-scaffold attachment, and higher cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of cs-PLA1-CA2 compared to monolithic PLA and blend PLA/CA fibers, while matching the growth performance of hFOB seeded on tissue culture polystyrene (TCP). The PLA-CA core-shell fibers produced in this study hold great promise for use as bone tissue scaffolds.

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Physial properties of nanocellulose extracted from empty fruit bunch

2020-12-29 , Abdul Haqi Ibrahim , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah , Sam Sung Ting

The high content of cellulose in lignocellulosic waste can be further utilized to produce nanocellulose (NCC). Conventional method of dissolving lignocellulosic waste in acid solvent is detrimental to the environment. Thus, a new method for utililizing lignocellulosic waste using environmental friendly solvent should be developed. NCC can be produced by dissolution of palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) in green solvent, natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES). In this study, palm oil EFB was used to produce NCC by dissolving in NADES and analysed for its characterization. Atomic force microscope (AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to evaluate the NCC’s morphology and dimension. Under AFM analysis, the average height of NCC produced was 15.574±3.658 nm while the obtained diameter is 53.179±24.237 nm. Using TEM analysis, the NCC produced was a needle-like particles with average diameter of 17.842 ± 2.859 nm, while the length is 185.486 ± 91.776 nm. Based on TGA results, NCC produced has a thermal stability at 224 °C. From the results obtained, the dissolution of cellulose in NADES is able to produce nanocellulose with similar properties as nanocellulose produced using conventional method.

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Non-functionalized oil palm waste-derived reduced graphene oxide for methylene blue removal: Isotherm, kinetics, thermodynamics, and mass transfer mechanism

2023-01-01 , Ab Aziz N.A.H. , Umi Fazara Md Ali , Anis Atikah Ahmad , Mohd Irfan Hatim Mohamed Dzahir , Khamidun M.H. , Muhammad Faiq Abdullah

The discharge of colored effluents from industries is one of the significant sources of water pollution. Therefore, there is a growing demand for efficient and low-cost treatment methods. An adsorption process with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) synthesized using a novel double carbonization and oxidation method from the natural precursor of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) as adsorbent is a promising approach for addressing the problem. In this study, OPEFB biochar was mixed with ferrocene with a ratio of 5:1 (m/m) and oxidized under nitrogen flow at a temperature of 300 °C for 20 min, which resulted in 75.8 wt% of yield. The potential of the synthesized rGO as an effective adsorbent for dye removal from water and wastewater was explored using methylene blue (MB) as a model. Several factors were investigated, including adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, contact time, and pH, to obtain the optimum adsorption condition through batch studies. The physical and chemical characteristics of the rGO in terms of functional groups, surface morphology, elemental composition, and crystallinity phase were determined through characterization. The nonlinear isotherms were appropriated using several error functions to describe the adsorption isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 50.07 mg/g. The kinetic study demonstrates that MB's adsorption fits the PFO kinetic model and agrees with Bangham's interpretation of pore diffusion. The adsorption mechanism was found to be physisorption on the multilayer heterogeneous surface of the rGO involving π-π interaction, hydrophobic association, and electrostatic interaction. The thermodynamics study showed that the process was spontaneous and exothermic. The mass transfer mechanism study shows that the adsorption is controlled by intraparticle diffusion and involves complex pathways. The study found that the novel non- functionalized rGO could remove cationic dyes from water and wastewater.

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