Nanostructural Effects in High Cellulose Content Thermoplastic Nanocomposites with a Covalently Grafted Cellulose-Poly(methyl methacrylate) Interface.

A critical aspect in materials design of polymer nanocomposites is the nature of the nanoparticle/polymer interface. The present study investigates the effect of manipulation of the interface between cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) on the optical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the corresponding nanocomposites. The CNF/PMMA interface is altered with a minimum of changes in material composition so that interface effects can be analyzed.

Polycaprolactone Nanocomposites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals Surface-Modified via Covalent Grafting or Physisorption: A Comparative Study.

In the present work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have been surface-modified either via covalent grafting or through physisorption of poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) and employed as reinforcement in PCL. Covalent grafting was achieved by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). Two approaches were utilized for the physisorption: using either micelles of poly(dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PBMA) or latex nanoparticles of poly(dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (P(DMAEMA-co-MAA)-b-PBMA).

Preparation and characterization of functionalized cellulose nanocrystals.

In this work, a series of functional nanocrystals (F-CNCs) was successfully produced by an efficient preparation method, combining acid hydrolysis and Fischer esterification with various organic acids. Functionalities such as ATRP initiators, double bonds, triple bonds, and thiols could be incorporated on CNCs. Surface modification was confirmed by FT-IR, XPS, and elemental analysis.

Facile preparation route for nanostructured composites: surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone from high-surface-area nanopaper.

In this work, highly porous nanopaper, i.e., sheets of papers made from non-aggregated nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), have been surface-grafted with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) by surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization (SI-ROP).