Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
7891229 Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing 2016 11 Pages PDF
Abstract
All-cellulose composites are high performing green materials and solvent infusion processing makes their upscaled manufacturing possible. This study explored the use of aqueous 7 wt.% NaOH/12 wt.% urea solution as cost effective and environmentally friendly cellulose solvent for solvent infusion processing. A short dissolution time of 5 min led to all-cellulose composite laminates with a tensile strength of 114 ± 1.9 MPa and a Young's modulus of 7.8 ± 0.5 GPa. A decrease of tensile strength and Young's modulus with increasing dissolution time from 5 to 60 min was linked to changes in composite microstructure and fine structure of the reinforcing rayon fibres. It was shown that aqueous NaOH/urea solution is a promising alternative solvent, as it offers the advantages of shorter processing times and reduced solvent costs by 97%, while resulting in 25% stronger laminates, when compared to using ionic liquids.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Ceramics and Composites
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