Abstract
Cellulose nano crystals (CNCs) are promising materials for energy efficient buildings related to the control of reflectivity and heat absorption/reflection of light. In this sense it is important to improve CNCs films fire retardant properties, which can be achieved by adding clays. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and nanolayers obtained from Sodium Fluorohectorite (NaFh) synthetic clay are both known to form liquid crystalline phases in aqueous suspensions. CNCs form cholesteric phases, which structure is preserved after water evaporation, while dry NaFh nanolayers aligned films collapse. In this initial work, it is shown that CNCs are compatible with NaFh clay. We demonstrate that the liquid crystalline phase of CNCs in water is not destroyed by the presence of NaFh nanolayers. The NaFh nanolayers act as planar anchoring surfaces to the cellulose nanorods and, after evaporation of the water coloured films are obtained. The precursor solutions and the photonic films were investigated by Describe several techniques.
Highlights
The European Physical Journal Special Topics in butterflies, moths, beetles, birds, fishes, plants and fruits
A comparison of CMC and Cellulose nano crystals (CNCs) is necessary to assess if the performed acidic hydrolysis reaction was successful
Each individual vertical line represents stretching vibrations of the cellulose molecules. The examination of this figure allows to establish that both samples display the same cellulose characteristic bands at 3330, 2900 and 1030 cm−1, approximately, which is in accordance with the theoretical values found in literature
Summary
The European Physical Journal Special Topics in butterflies, moths, beetles, birds, fishes, plants and fruits. The most abundant renewable organic compound on earth, is a fascinating and almost inexhaustible, sustainable natural polymer that has been vastly used in our day-to-day products and applications and is considered an alternative to fossil fuel-based polymers [4,5]. Cellulose nanocrystal particles are produced through a controlled chemical treatment, usually via a strong acidic hydrolysis, where the amorphous domains are dissolved and the local crystalline contacts between nanofibrils are broken. The extraction of CNCs using this acid hydrolysis method was first described in 1949 by Ranby and Ribi [7] and results in a suspension consisting of nanorods [8]. The geometric dimensions of CNCs, such as length and width, may vary depending on the origin of cellulose microfibrils and the acidic hydrolysis conditions such as time, temperature, purity or cellulosic source [8]
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