TY - GEN
T1 - Study of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/cellulose whisker nanocomposites
AU - Wolcott, M.
AU - Jiang, L.
AU - Holbery, J.
AU - Zhang, J.
AU - Morelius, E.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - With a Young's modulus of over 100 GPa and a surface area of several hundred m 2/g, cellulose nano crystals (CNC) have the potential to significantly reinforce polymers at low filler loadings while offering several environmental and performance advantages over traditional nano-fillers such as nano clays and calcium carbonate. As in many nano-fillers, CNC presents significant melt processing challenges. The high surface area and polar nature of the material causes the particles to agglomerate during melt blending. Our research hypothesis was that soluble polymers deposited on the surface of the CNC would facilitate dispersion in thermoplastic polymers. Towards this end, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), a hydrophobic biopolymer, was selected as a candidate matrix material. A stable colloidal dispersion of the CNC was formed in different solutions of water-soluble polymers selected for their mutual solubility in water and PHB. The solutions were then freeze-dried, ground, and compounded with PHB in a twin-screw extruder. The resulting material was injection molded, mechanically evaluated, and characterized for filler dispersion.
AB - With a Young's modulus of over 100 GPa and a surface area of several hundred m 2/g, cellulose nano crystals (CNC) have the potential to significantly reinforce polymers at low filler loadings while offering several environmental and performance advantages over traditional nano-fillers such as nano clays and calcium carbonate. As in many nano-fillers, CNC presents significant melt processing challenges. The high surface area and polar nature of the material causes the particles to agglomerate during melt blending. Our research hypothesis was that soluble polymers deposited on the surface of the CNC would facilitate dispersion in thermoplastic polymers. Towards this end, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), a hydrophobic biopolymer, was selected as a candidate matrix material. A stable colloidal dispersion of the CNC was formed in different solutions of water-soluble polymers selected for their mutual solubility in water and PHB. The solutions were then freeze-dried, ground, and compounded with PHB in a twin-screw extruder. The resulting material was injection molded, mechanically evaluated, and characterized for filler dispersion.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84867826755
SN - 9781604239669
T3 - American Society for Composites - 22nd Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites 2007 - Composites: Enabling a New Era in Civil Aviation
SP - 2155
EP - 2164
BT - American Society for Composites - 22nd Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites 2007 - Composites
T2 - 22nd Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites 2007 - Composites: Enabling a New Era in Civil Aviation
Y2 - 17 September 2007 through 19 September 2007
ER -