Abstract
In this work, electrospun fibers of polyvinyl alcohol (PV) and starch (ST) were obtained to improve dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) within a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix with the aim of enhancing mechanical and barrier properties. The development and characterization of electrospun fibers with and without CNC, followed by their incorporation in PLA at three concentrations (0.5%, 1% and 3% with respect to CNC) were investigated. Morphological, structural, thermal, mechanical and barrier properties of these nanocomposites were studied. The purpose of this study was not only to compare the properties of PLA nanocomposites with CNC embedded into electrospun fibers and nanocomposites with freeze-dried CNC, but also to study the effect of electrospinning process and the incorporation of CNC on the PV and starch properties. SEM micrographs confirmed the homogenous dispersion of fibers through PLA matrix. X-ray analysis revealed that the electrospinning process decreased the crystallinity of PV and starch. The presence of CNC enhanced the thermal stability of electrospun fibers. Electrospun fibers showed an interesting nucleating effect since crystallinity of PLA was strongly increased. Nanocomposites with electrospun fibers containing CNC presented slightly higher flexibility and ductility without decreasing barrier properties.
Highlights
Over the last several years, the efforts to improve the properties of biodegradable materials have increased due to the effects that residues of conventional materials have on the environment [1].The introduction of nanotechnology in the development of new materials has opened up a great number of possibilities
Control electrospun fibers had a composition of 72.73% and 27.27% of polyvinyl alcohol (PV) and starch, respectively
Results the influence of the electrospun fibers based on two additional polymers and on the stiffness, influence of the electrospun fibers based on two additional polymers and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) on the stiffness, tensile tensile strength strength and and elongation elongation at at break break compared compared with with poly(lactic acid) (PLA)
Summary
Over the last several years, the efforts to improve the properties of biodegradable materials have increased due to the effects that residues of conventional materials have on the environment [1].The introduction of nanotechnology in the development of new materials has opened up a great number of possibilities. Over the last several years, the efforts to improve the properties of biodegradable materials have increased due to the effects that residues of conventional materials have on the environment [1]. Adding nanofillers has presented an interesting way to extend and to improve some aspects, principally mechanical and barrier properties [2]. A nanocomposite is a multiphase composite where at least one of the phases presents nanoscale dimension. There are many nanofillers (three-dimensional spherical and polyhedral, two-dimensional nanofibers or one-dimensional sheet-like nanoparticles) that have been studied, but during the last decade, “cellulose nanocrystals”. (CNC) have attracted significant interest in order to produce fully renewable and biodegradable nanocomposites. CNC is a natural nanofiller obtained from cellulose, a fibrous, hard and Polymers 2017, 9, 117; doi:10.3390/polym9040117 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers
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