High-strength, High-toughness Aligned Polymer-based Nanocomposite Reinforced with Ultra-low Weight Fraction of Functionalized Nanocellulose

• Multifunctional lightweight, flexible, yet strong polymer-based nanocomposites are highly desired for specific applications. However, the control of orientation and dispersion of reinforcing nanoparticles and the optimization of the interfacial interaction still pose substantial challenges in nanocellulose-reinforced polymer composites. In this study, poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted nanocellulose fibers (TOCNF-g-PEG) has demonstrated much better dispersion in a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix as compared to unmodified nanocellulose fibers. Through a uniaxial drawing method, aligned PLA/nanocellulose nanocomposites with high strength, high toughness, and unique optical behavior are obtained. With the incorporation of only 0.1 wt% of TOCNF-g-PEG in PLA, the ultimate strength of the nanocomposite reaches 343 MPa, which is significantly higher than that of other aligned PLA-based nanocomposites reported previously. Compared with the aligned nanocomposite reinforced with unmodified nanocellulose, the ultimate strength and toughness are enhanced by 39% and 70%, respectively. Moreover, the aligned nanocomposite film is highly transparent and possesses an anisotropic light scattering effect, revealing its significant potential for optical applications.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Kompositmaterial och -teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Composite Science and Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Nanoteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Nano-technology (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Industriell bioteknik -- Biomaterial (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Industrial Biotechnology -- Bio Materials (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Kemiteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Chemical Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

nanocellulose

nanocomposite

alignment

mechanical characteristics

light scattering

Trä och bionanokompositer

Wood and Bionanocomposites

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)