Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were isolated from corn stalk using sulfuric acid hydrolysis, and their morphology, chemical structure, and thermal stability properties were characterized. The CNCs had an average length of 120.2 ± 61.3 nm and diameter of 6.4 ± 3.1 nm (L/D = 18.7). The degree of crystallinity of the CNCs increased to 69.20% from the 33.20% crystallinity of raw corn stalk fiber, while the chemical structure was well kept after sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Thermal stability analysis showed that the degradation temperature of the CNCs reached 239.5 °C, which was higher than that of the raw fiber but lower than that of the extracted cellulose. The average activation energy values for the CNCs, evaluated using the Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (F-W-O) and Coats-Redfern methods, were 312.6, 302.8, and 309 kJ·mol−1 in the conversion range of 0.1 to 0.8. The isolated CNCs had higher values of activation energy than did the purified cellulose, which was attributed to the stronger hydrogen bonds present in the crystalline domains of CNCs than in those of cellulose. These findings can help better understand the thermal properties of polymer/CNC composites.
Highlights
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have received increased attention in the nano-technological field because of their biodegradability, renewable nature, low-cost production, high aspect ratios, high surface area, high strength, and highly crystalline structures [1]
According to the report to the report of Mohamad, the roughness of the extracted cellulose favors the isolation of Mohamad, the roughness the shows extracted favorsCNCs the isolation of the cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) through through hydrolysis
CNCs were isolated from corn stalk with a combination of chemical and mechanical treatments
Summary
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have received increased attention in the nano-technological field because of their biodegradability, renewable nature, low-cost production, high aspect ratios, high surface area, high strength, and highly crystalline structures [1]. Avik Khan et al reported that using 5 wt % of CNCs improved the tensile strength of chitosan-based biodegradable films by 26% [9]. When used in natural rubber, both the tensile strength and modulus of the rubber/CNC nanocomposites were increased by 38% and 433%, respectively [11]. Thermal stability plays a very critical role in restricting the properties and application scope of polymer and CNC composites. The thermal stability of CNCs is influenced by their physical and chemical structure. Different crystalline arrangements of cellulose influenced their thermal stability due to the different orientation of the cellulose chains and the pattern of hydrogen bonding in cellulose I and cellulose II, leading to the activation energy being increased for cellulose
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