Cellulose Nanocomposites of Cellulose Nanofibers and Molecular Coils

Abstract

All-cellulose nanocomposites have been produced from cellulose nanofiber (CNF) suspensions and molecular coil solutions. Morphology and small-angle neutron scattering studies show the exfoliation and dispersion of CNFs in aqueous suspensions. Cellulose solutions in mixtures of ionic liquid and organic solvents were homogeneously mixed with CNF suspensions and subsequently dried to yield cellulose composites comprising CNF and amorphous cellulose over the entire composition range. Tensile tests show that stiffness and strength quantities of cellulose nanocomposites are the highest value at ca. 20% amorphous cellulose, while their fracture strain and toughness are the lowest. The inclusion of amorphous cellulose in cellulose nanocomposites alters their water uptake capacity, as measured in the ratio of the absorbed water to the cellulose mass, reducing from 37 for the neat CNF to less than 1 for a composite containing 35% or more amorphous cellulose. This study offers new insights into the design and production of all-cellulose nanocomposites.

All-Cellulose Composite Laminates Made from Wood-Based Textiles: Effects of Process Conditions and the Addition of TEMPO-Oxidized Nanocellulose

“…In recent research on ACCs, the focus has often been on the development of multifunctional films [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. However, more investigation is needed into constructive laminates, bulk materials, and how different raw material choices and process conditions play a part in the properties of structured materials.…”

Advances in Small Angle Neutron Scattering on Polysaccharide Materials

“…Cellulose, the most abundant native polysaccharide on earth, has been widely investigated by SANS in the framework of various current and feature applications [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]. A variety of structural models ranging between parallelepipedons to cylinders with polydisperse radii have been proposed for the interpretation of the experimental data.…”

“…Particle radii exported by the scattering curves (modeling network building blocks as spheres) showcased good agreement with those calculated by skeletal density and N2sorption data and based on complementary SEM imaging and the proposed morphology of the aerogels as hierarchical primary and mass-fractal secondary particles, the authors were able to reproduce the nanoscale structure of the aerogels (Figure 7). Cellulose, the most abundant native polysaccharide on earth, has been widely investigated by SANS in the framework of various current and feature applications [42][43][44][45][46]. A variety of structural models ranging between parallelepipedons to cylinders with polydisperse radii have been proposed for the interpretation of the experimental data.…”