Orientation and interfacial stress transfer of cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposite fibers

Abstract

Orientation and interfacial stress transfer in cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) reinforced polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanocomposite fibers were determined by Raman spectroscopy. The 1095 cm−1 Raman band was used to quantify the orientation of CNC in composite fiber. Under VV (vertical/vertical) mode, polar plots of all composite fibers showed a two-fold symmetry. Under VH (vertical/horizontal) mode, it showed a four-fold symmetry. The CNCs are highly oriented in the composite fiber, which is confirmed by second and fourth order orientation parameters:〈P2(cosθ)〉 and〈P4(cosθ)〉. The 1095 cm−1 Raman band shift under uniaxial deformation was used to characterize the interfacial shear stress transfer between PAN matrix and CNCs.