Effect of Mechanochemical Treatment of Cellulose on Characteristics of Nanocellulose Films

Abstract

The development of the nanomaterials with the advanced functional characteristics is a challenging task because of the growing demand in the market of the optoelectronic devices, biodegradable plastics, and materials for energy saving and energy storage. Nanocellulose is comprised of the nanosized cellulose particles, properties of which depend on characteristics of plant raw materials as well as methods of nanocellulose preparation. In this study, the effect of the mechanochemical treatment of bleached softwood sulfate pulp on the optical and mechanical properties of nanocellulose films was assessed. It was established that the method of the subsequent grinding, acid hydrolysis and ultrasound treatment of cellulose generated films with the significant transparency in the visible spectral range (up to 78 % at 600 nm), high Young's modulus (up to 8.8 GPa), and tensile strength (up to 88 MPa) with increased ordering of the packing of the cellulose macromolecules. Morphological characterization was done using the dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyzer and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nanocellulose particles had an average diameter of 15-30 nm and a high aspect ratio in the range 120-150. The crystallinity was increased with successive treatments as shown by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The thermal degradation behavior of cellulose samples was explored by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).

Valorization of Pineapple Residues from the Colombian Agroindustry to Produce Cellulose Nanofibers

“…Additionally, it was observed that the maximum degradation temperature of CC was higher (338 • C), compared to the produce nanofibers (LP-HUS, 306 • C), which could be attributed to the number of free terminal chains, which decompose at lower temperatures [33,34]. Hydrolysis with H 2 SO 4 caused a significant decrease in the degradation temperature and an increase in the maximum degradation temperature range for PL-HUS between 181 • C and 360 • C, caused by the inclusion of sulfate groups in the cellulose chains [33,35].…”