Manganese-containing cellulose nanocomposites: The restrain effect of cellulose treated with NaOH/urea aqueous solutions

In this article, the manganese-containing cellulose nanocomposites were obtained using microcrystalline cellulose and Mn(CH3COO)2·4H2O in the NaOH/urea aqueous solutions by a efficient microwave-assisted method. The effects of the heating time and Mn(CH3COO)2·4H2O concentration on the cellulose nanocomposites were investigated. It was found that the microcrystalline cellulose pretreated with NaOH/urea aqueous solutions played an important role in the phase, shape, and thermal stability of manganese-containing cellulose nanocomposites. Well-crystalline phases of manganese oxides were not observed in the manganese-containing cellulose nanocomposites. Furthermore, well-crystalline phases of manganese oxides were not also observed by thermal treatment of the manganese-containing cellulose nanocomposites at 600 °C for 3 h. These results could be attributed to the restrain effect of cellulose treated with NaOH/urea aqueous solutions. It was supposed the possible mechanism during the phase transformation of cellulose nanocomposites.