Enhancing vibrational energy absorption in banana stem fibers through π–π stacking of curcumin on lignocellulose and structural reorganization by microwave irradiation

Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising renewable platform for high value functional materials. This study presents a bio-based modification strategy to enhance the vibrational energy absorption performance of banana stem fiber through curcumin immersion followed by microwave induced structural reorganization. Curcumin initially forms disordered π–π stacking interactions with the lignocellulosic, while microwave irradiation promotes their reorientation into a more ordered structure. This reorganization enhances intermolecular electron mobility and improves vibrational energy dissipation. Curcumin treated fiber shows the highest damping ratio with ζ approximately 0.049 ± 0.006, but with elevated RMS acceleration. Microwave treatment reduces RMS acceleration to 0.087 ± 0.008 m/s², which is nearly an order of magnitude lower and well below ISO 2631 comfort thresholds. The combined process converts low value biowaste into a high-performance damping material using a low energy and scalable approach, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable alternative to synthetic vibration isolation materials.