Environment-friendly “green” composites were fabricated from a starch-based, dispersion-type biodegradable resin and cellulose nanofibers. The mixture of the dispersion-type biodegradable resin and cellulose nanofibers were blended well by using a home-use mixer and a stirrer, and then dried in air or in a vacuum. Composites were prepared by conventional hot pressing at a constant temperature of 140°C and at pressures from 10 to 50 MPa. Their flexural strength as well as flexural modulus increased with increasing the molding pressure, and were also affected by preparation methods and conditions. Their mechanical properties such as strength and modulus had a good correlation with their density. Especially it can be seen that there is significant effectiveness in a stirrer mixing process, which results in the improved uniform dispersion of nanofibers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.