Use of Bacterial Nanocellulose for Pickering Stabilization of Methyl Methacrylate Suspension Polymerizations

Abstract

Nanocellulose is a promising material for pickering stabilization of liquid‐liquid and solid‐liquid dispersions because it is a natural and sustainable material that can present surface activity. For this reason, the present work investigates the stability of aqueous dispersions of methyl methacrylate (MMA) prepared in presence of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) and the use of BNC as suspending agent in free‐radical MMA suspension polymerization reactions. The dispersion stability is evaluated through sedimentation and phase separation analyses, using empirical statistical models to characterize the main effects of operation variables on the preparation of aqueous MMA dispersions. Then, suspension polymerization reactions are carried out at different conditions to characterize the stabilizing performances of the analyzed BNCs during actual reaction trials. Particularly, it is shown that modification of both the BNC concentration and the emulsification conditions can affect the final stability of the obtained emulsions. Additionally, it is shown that PMMA microparticles with diameters ranging from 300 to 1500 µm can be synthesized using BNC as stabilizer and AIBN as initiator, enhancing the sustainable characteristics of the analyzed processes.