Cationic surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals: Toward tailoring dispersion and interface in carboxymethyl cellulose films

Abstract

The present work describes the development of high performance cellulose nanocrystals/carboxymethyl cellulose (CNC/CMC) films through a rational design of CNC surface chemistry. Considering the anionic surface nature of CMC, surface cationization of CNCs was performed in order to build strong interfacial bonding by electrostatic attraction and form uniform dispersion state by electrostatic repulsion. Nanocomposite films were fabricated by dispersing the CNCs and cationically modified CNCs (mCNCs) in CMC matrix through solution casting. The resultant CNC/CMC and mCNC/CMC films were then evaluated in terms of processability, mechanical properties and fracture surface morphology. Results showed that the reinforcing capacity of mCNCs was greatly dependent on its substitution degree. High substitution degree was favorable for obtaining mCNC/CMC film with unifrom dispersion and superior mechanical properties. The observed distinctive reinforcing phenomena from CNCs and mCNCs in CMC matrix were interpreted in terms of dispersion state and interfacial bonding based on the fracture surface morphology.

Polyethylene‐g‐starch nanoparticle biocomposites: Physicochemical properties and biodegradation studies

“…Nanoparticles from natural polymers are crystalline in nature with structural uniformity. Nanoparticles from starch, chitosan, cellulose, lignin, and chitin are used as additives in biocomposites for improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer matrix and inherit all advantages of natural polymers .…”

Synthetic Strategies for the Fabrication of Cationic Surface-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals

“…These cationic CNC-based injectable hydrogels could be used for the sustained delivery of anticancer drugs. In other studies, cationic CNCs synthesized by employing EPTMAC as a cationization agent were used as miniemulsion polymerization stabilizers [53] and high performance nanocomposite films [54].…”

Physicochemical and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-cellulose Nanocrystal Nanocomposites: Effects of Manufacturing Process and Chemical Grafting

“…Therefore, the nanocomposite reinforced with M-CNCs had higher the mechanical properties than that from the T-CNC system due to a better dispersion state and the additional interaction forces of M-CNCs in the PP matrix. Randomly aggregated particles can cause local stress concentrations, leading to a reduction in the mechanical properties (Li et al 2016). Pristine CNCs with inherent hydrophilicity were easily agglomerated in the hydrophobic PP matrix.…”

“…Materials combined with nanocellulose in high-tech fields (Korhhonen et al 2011;Chun et al 2012;Anis et al 2014;Choi et al 2014;Spinella et al 2015;Zhang et al 2015;Li et al 2016) have many useful and unexpected properties (Dufresne 2017;Ziaei-Tabari et al 2017), and their potential has attracted much attention from many researchers. In particular, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can be an excellent reinforcement in polymeric nanocomposites due to their intrinsic crystalline structure.…”