Abstract
We have developed a solvent‐free mechanochemical technology to activate cellulose derived effectively from waste cotton fabrics. A self‐designed (pan‐mill)‐type mechanochemical reactor was adopted to break up the hydrogen bonds and decrease the crystallinity of cellulose through the fairly strong shearing and squeezing forces. The mechanochemically activated waste‐derived cellulose (WC) can be used as a cost‐effective functional additive to enhance the melt‐processability and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). With the addition of 20 phr pretreated cellulose, the melting temperature of PVA decreased sharply from its original 212.2oC to 198.1oC, whereas the maximum decomposition temperature of PVA increased from 243.8oC to 266.3oC. As a result, the melt‐processing window was remarkably expanded, which favored the performance of the melt‐processed PVA/WC composites. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the PVA/WC (100/20) composites were remarkably enhanced by 32.2% and 197.1% compared with those of untreated WC‐filled PVA composites. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 20:177–184, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
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