The Influence of Cellulose Nanocrystal Characteristics on Regenerative Silk Composite Fiber Properties

Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), obtained from natural resources, possess great potential as a bioderived reinforcement for natural-fiber-reinforced composites (NFRPs) due to their superior crystallinity and high aspect ratio. To elucidate the specific parameters of CNCs that significantly affect their mechanical performance, various CNCs were investigated to fabricate high-performance nanocomposite fibers together with regenerated silk fibroin (RSF). We confirmed that the high aspect ratio (~9) of the CNCs was the critical factor to increase the tensile strength and stiffness rather than the crystallinity. At a 1 vol% of CNCs, the strength and stiffness reached ~300 MPa and 10.5 GPa, respectively, which was attributed not only to a stable dispersion but also to alignment. This approach has the potential to evaluate the parameters of natural reinforcement and may also be useful in constructing high-performance NFRPs.

Enhanced mechanical properties of epoxy composites using cellulose micro‐ and nano‐crystals

“…The CI% values for MCC samples originated from cotton linters were found to be 72%-76% by Terinte et al 37 Depending on the preparation method, CNCs are reaching CI in the range of 61%-85%. [38][39][40][41] 3.1.2 | Particle size analysis SEM was used to determine the particle size of the CNC and MCC powders. Figure 5 shows the size and morphological difference between the CNC and MCC particles.…”

Constructing Stiff β-Sheet for Self-Reinforced Alginate Fibers

“…In fibrous reinforcement, a common strategy is to add second phase additives. The additives are stiff units such as Ag Nanowires [11], graphene oxide [12,13], carbon nanotubes [14], silica, etc., which increases the modulus and strength of fibers [15,16]. Similarly, compositing SA with other polymers such as chitosan, gelatin, and polyethylene glycol can also improve mechanical properties due to forming composite dissipation networks [17][18][19].…”