CNC Synthesis from Cellulose Macromolecule and Fabrication of PVA/TiO2/CNC Bio-Nanocomposite Thin Film for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

PolyVinyl Alcohol (PVA) based films with varying concentrations of Cellulose Nano Crystals (CNC) and Titanium dioxide (TiO2) have been prepared and characterised in this study to determine their applications in the biomedical field. Biophysical, microscopic and mechanical property characterization of the films - PVA/CNC/T0.5, PVA/CNC/T1.0 and PVA/CNC/T1.5 were performed. The CNC were extracted from pea peel waste fibres (PPWF) which are rich in cellulose macromolecule (Mol Wt > 5000 da) by adopting acid hydrolysis method. Through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, uniform distribution and successful incorporation of CNC and TiO2 in the films have been confirmed. From the X-ray diffraction pattern of the films, it could be noted that the crystallinity increased in the films with the addition of CNC and rutile TiO2 in the PVA. The tensile strength of the films also greatly improved with the CNC reinforcement and increase in TiO2 content in the films. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the PVA/CNC/ TiO2 films have the potential to find their application in biomedical devices, especially to be used as a footprint of an ultrasound transducer.