*2.4. Processing of the Modified CNCs with PBS*

First, 0.25 g of the modified CNCs was dispersed in 20 mL of chloroform using the ultrasonicator UW2200 (power of 10% of 2200 W for 20 s) (Bandelin Electronic, Berlin, Germany). Then, 4.75 g of PBS was added and stirred to a complete dissolution. The homogeneous mixture was transferred to an aluminum dish and heated gradually to 135 ◦C for 24 h to evaporate the chloroform and melt the PBS. Then, the samples were cooled down to room temperature to obtain films containing 5% (*w*/*w*) of CNCs. They are referred to in the paper as PBS+CNCs-TDI-Eth, PBS+CNCs-TDI-But, PBS+CNCs-TDI-Hex, and PBS+CNCs-TDI-Oct. The dispersibility of the CNCs was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and published somewhere else [19]. It is important to mention that it was not possible to prepare films using the unmodified CNCs because of their high hydrophilicity.
