Mechanically improved polyvinyl alcohol-composite films using modified cellulose nanowhiskers as nano-reinforcement

Abstract

Cellulose nanowhiskers (CWs) extracted from cotton fibers were successfully modified with distinct anhydrides structures and used as additives in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite films. The surface modification of CWs was performed with maleic, succinic, acetic or phthalic anhydride to compare the interaction and action the carboxylic groups into PVA films and how these groups influence in mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. CWs presented a high degree of crystallinity and good dispersion in water, with average length at the nanoscale. The addition of specific amounts (3, 6 and 9 wt.%) of modified-CWs increased up to 4.4 times the storage modulus (PVA88-CWSA 9 wt.%), as observed from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), compared to the bare PVA films. A significant increase in mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elastic modulus, and elongation at break showed a close relationship to the amount and chemical surface characteristics of CWs added, suggesting that these modified-CWs could be explored as reinforcement additives in PVA films.

Effect of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Lignin Nanoparticles on Mechanical, Antioxidant and Water Vapour Barrier Properties of Glutaraldehyde Crosslinked PVA Films

“…Limiting the analysis to chemically modified filler and/or crosslinked matrix, examples of anhydride-modified nanocellulosic reinforcements in PVA can be found in the work of Spagnol et al [ 24 ], where cellulose nanowhiskers (CWs) were treated with maleic, succinic, acetic or phthalic anhydride to compare the interaction of the carboxylic groups with PVA films. The addition of 9 wt.% of modified CWs increased the storage modulus up to 4.4 times, compared to the bare PVA films.…”

Micro-cellulose Sheet and Polyvinyl Alcohol Blended Film for Active Packaging

“…However, lower compatibility of PVA and cellulose is reported due to water insoluble nature and presence of a number of hydroxyl (−OH) groups [24,25]. Therefore, chemical modification and advanced process technique of cellulose would be another useful step for improving the adhesion and compatibility of cellulose and PVA composite [26][27][28][29]. In this direction, present study focusses on the extraction of chemically modified carbonated cellulose from bio-based source (rice husk) through simple method by impregnating the carbonate group.…”

Preparation of Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol/Nanocellulose Composite Film and Evaluation of Its Biomedical Performance

“…The solution is generally considered to be stable when the absolute value of the potential is greater than 30 mV [17,18]. As can be seen from Figure 1, the potential value of NC1 solution is −1.49 mV, which is less than 30 mV.…”