Melt-processing of cellulose nanofibril/polylactide bionanocomposites via a sustainable polyethylene glycol-based carrier system
Journal article, 2019

Considering the appealing need for an industrially viable approach, this works aims at demonstrating the rapid and easy melt processing of Polylactide (PLA) bio-composites reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). For this purpose and against to their high propensity to self-aggregate on processing, an aqueous CNF-based suspension in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) followed by a gentle drying way were performed to provide melt-processable CNF-based masterbatches. Morphological observations coupled with rheological analyses confirmed how the strategy of the PEG-based masterbatch approach facilitated the formation of a well-dispersed and strongly interacting CNF network within the polymeric matrix. At temperatures above Tg, thermo-mechanical characterization showed that the load-bearing capacity of the web-like CNF network was even more apparent and counteracted the PEG plasticizing effect. Thermogravimetric analysis evidenced that in the case of selective positioning at the PLA-PEG interface, CNF mitigated the negative impact of PEG addition on the PLA thermal stability. These results revealed the successfulness of our sustainable organic solvent-free approach to prepare melt-processable CNF masterbatches, which can be readily converted into conventional industrially scalable melt-processing techniques.

Polylactide

Melt-processing

Sustainable process

Cellulose nanofibrils

Polyethylene glycol

Author

Jonathan Cailloux

Polytechnic University of Catalonia

Jean Marie Raquez

Universite de Mons

Giada Lo Re

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Engineering Materials

Orlando Santana

Polytechnic University of Catalonia

Leila Bonnaud

Universite de Mons

Philippe Dubois

Universite de Mons

Maria Lluïsa Maspoch

Polytechnic University of Catalonia

Carbohydrate Polymers

0144-8617 (ISSN)

Vol. 224 115188

Subject Categories

Polymer Chemistry

Chemical Process Engineering

Polymer Technologies

DOI

10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115188

More information

Latest update

12/9/2020