Cellulose Nanofibrils Dewatered with Poly(Lactic Acid) for Improved Bio-Polymer Nanocomposite Processing
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Manufacturing and Characterization of Mixtures
2.2. Processing and Testing of Composites
2.3. Calculations for CNF Monolayer Formation
2.4. Analysis of Pressed Films with Polarized Light Microscopy
2.5. Particle Size Analysis with ImageJ
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. PLA-CNF Mixture Characterization
3.2. Testing of Composites
3.3. Modeling for CNF Monolayer Formation
3.4. Pressed Films with Polarized Light Microscopy Analysis Results
3.5. Particle Size Analysis Using ImageJ
3.6. Contact Dewatering Water Removal and Energy Analysis
4. Conclusions
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- Dewatered CNF at loading levels of 0.1–2 wt.% in PLA powder preserved nano-to-microscale CNF dimensions in pressed PLA films;
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- In compression molded films, CNFs significantly increased the tensile properties of PLA in the range of 0.1–1 wt.% loading, but agglomeration at 2 wt.% and above reduced tensile strength compared to pure PLA;
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- In shear-mixed composites, PLA with dewatered CNFs showed comparable tensile strength and better tensile modulus than pure PLA or PLA with SDCNF at 1–2 wt.% dewatered CNF loading levels;
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- Modeling the agglomeration threshold based on spherical particles did not agree with results obtained from PLM image analysis, so the model assumptions should be updated to more accurately reflect the fibril agglomeration;
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- Shear-mixing PLA-2 wt.% dCNF broke up agglomerates seen in compression molded films and produced test samples with the highest tensile properties;
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- In subsequent work, higher loading levels of PLA-dCNF could be shear-mixed and tested to determine the maximum level of CNFs that can be dewatered onto PLA without reducing mechanical properties;
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- Dewatering is a much more energy-efficient method of producing dried, micron-to-nanoscale CNFs for composites than spray-drying.
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
References
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Mixture | Fraction Diameter (μm) | Mass % |
---|---|---|
PLA | >250 | 4.5 |
150–250 | 39.2 | |
<150 | 56.3 | |
PLA-10% CNF | >250 | 42.7 |
150–250 | 36.8 | |
<150 | 20.5 | |
PLA-50% CNF | >250 | 85.7 |
150–250 | 8.7 | |
<150 | 5.6 |
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Collins, A.; Tajvidi, M. Cellulose Nanofibrils Dewatered with Poly(Lactic Acid) for Improved Bio-Polymer Nanocomposite Processing. Nanomaterials 2024, 14, 1419. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14171419
Collins A, Tajvidi M. Cellulose Nanofibrils Dewatered with Poly(Lactic Acid) for Improved Bio-Polymer Nanocomposite Processing. Nanomaterials. 2024; 14(17):1419. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14171419
Chicago/Turabian StyleCollins, Alexander, and Mehdi Tajvidi. 2024. "Cellulose Nanofibrils Dewatered with Poly(Lactic Acid) for Improved Bio-Polymer Nanocomposite Processing" Nanomaterials 14, no. 17: 1419. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14171419