Abstract
Polyesters made from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) have been in the spotlight due to their renewable origins, together with the promising thermal, mechanical, and/or barrier properties. Following the same trend, (nano)composite materials based on FDCA could also generate similar interest, especially because novel materials with enhanced or refined properties could be obtained. This paper presents a case study on the use of furanoate-based polyesters and bacterial cellulose to prepare nanocomposites, namely acetylated bacterial cellulose/poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) and acetylated bacterial cellulose/poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate)-co-(butylene diglycolate)s. The balance between flexibility, prompted by the furanoate-diglycolate polymeric matrix; and the high strength prompted by the bacterial cellulose fibres, enabled the preparation of a wide range of new nanocomposite materials. The new nanocomposites had a glass transition between −25–46 °C and a melting temperature of 61–174 °C; and they were thermally stable up to 239–324 °C. Furthermore, these materials were highly reinforced materials with an enhanced Young’s modulus (up to 1239 MPa) compared to their neat copolyester counterparts. This was associated with both the reinforcing action of the cellulose fibres and the degree of crystallinity of the nanocomposites. In terms of elongation at break, the nanocomposites prepared from copolyesters with higher amounts of diglycolate moieties displayed higher elongations due to the soft nature of these segments.
Highlights
The last decades have seen a burgeoning search for more sustainable chemicals, polymers, and materials due to severe environmental concerns and to the announced depletion of fossil resources [1]
This study presents a new family of fully bio-based nanocomposites, prepared from a series of PBF-co-PBDG copolyesters, or PBF, and modified bacterial cellulose previously treated with heterogeneous acetylation
Ac-bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibres were Soxhlet-extracted with ethanol for 12 h to remove any residual trace of acetic anhydride or other impurities, and solvent exchanged with acetone followed by chloroform
Summary
The last decades have seen a burgeoning search for more sustainable chemicals, polymers, and materials due to severe environmental concerns and to the announced depletion of fossil resources [1]. To the best of our knowledge, BC has never before been used in the preparation of furanoate-based nanocomposites In this vein, this study presents a new family of fully bio-based nanocomposites, prepared from a series of PBF-co-PBDG copolyesters, or PBF, and modified bacterial cellulose previously treated with heterogeneous acetylation (to improve compatibility with the thermoplastic matrices). This study presents a new family of fully bio-based nanocomposites, prepared from a series of PBF-co-PBDG copolyesters, or PBF, and modified bacterial cellulose previously treated with heterogeneous acetylation (to improve compatibility with the thermoplastic matrices) These PBF-co-PBDG and PBF-acetylated-BC nanocomposites were chosen as a case study for the broader development of furanoate-based nanocomposites, and in particular for their potential to enhance their mechanical properties. The newly prepared nanomaterials were fully characterised through several structural, thermal, and mechanical techniques, as well as in terms of gas permeability, aiming to access their potential use for packaging applications
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