کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
1394729 | 1501363 | 2015 | 12 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
• We demonstrates that poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene) (PEG-b-PE) amphiphiles can be used as both a dispersing and compatibilizing agents for melt-compounding of cellulose nano-fibers with polyethylene.
• Cellulose nano-fiber was surface treated with PEG-b-PE and processed into a powder via a spray drying process.
• After melt-compounding of the treated nano-cellulose with polyethylene, we obtained homogeneous and optically clear nano-composites.
• Tailorization of the LLDPE/cellulose interface was achieved, yielding significant improvements in mechanical properties.
In this paper, we demonstrate that an amphiphilic block copolymer such as polyethylene glycol-b-polyethylene can be used as both dispersing and interfacial compatibilizing agent for the melt compounding of LLDPE with cellulose nano-fibers. A simple and effective spray drying methodology was first used for the first time for the preparation of a powdered cellulose nano-fibers extrusion feedstock. Surface adsorption of the amphiphilic PEG-b-PE was carried out directly in solution during this process. These various dry cellulosic feedstock were subsequently combined with LLDPE via extrusion to produce a range of nano-composites. The collective outcomes of this research are several folds. Firstly we show that presence of surface adsorbed PEG-b-PE effectively hindered the aggregation of the cellulose nano-fibers during the extrusion, affording clear homogenous materials with minimum aggregation even at the highest loading of cellulose nano-fibers (∼23 vol.%). Secondly, the tailored LLDPE/cellulose interface arising from intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen and Van der Waals bonds yielded significant levels of mechanical improvements in terms of storage and tensile modulus. We believe this study provides a simple technological template to produce high quality and performant polyolefins cellulose-based nano-composites.
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Journal: European Polymer Journal - Volume 72, November 2015, Pages 270–281