Abstract
Miscanthus x giganteusstalks were used to make organosolvent pulp and nanocellulose. The organosolvent miscanthus pulp (OMP) was obtained through thermal treatment in the mixture of glacial acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide at the first stage and the alkaline treatment at the second stage. Hydrolysis of the never-dried OМP was carried out by a solution of sulfuric acid with concentrations of 43% and 50% and followed by ultrasound treatment. Structural changes and the crystallinity index of OMP and nanocellulose were studied by SEM and FTIR methods. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed an increase in the crystallinity of OMP and nanocellulose as a result of thermochemical treatment. We show that nanocellulose has a density of up to 1.6 g/cm3, transparency up to 82%, and a crystallinity index of 76.5%. The AFM method showed that the particles of nanocellulose have a diameter in the range from 10 to 20 nm. A thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that nanocellulose films have a denser structure and lower mass loss in the temperature range of 320–440°C compared to OMP. The obtained nanocellulose films have high tensile strength up to 195 MPa. The nanocellulose obtained from OMP exhibits the improved properties for the preparation of new nanocomposite materials.
Highlights
Industrial developments, as well as changing consumption patterns associated with growing economies and prosperity, contribute to increasing demand for both renewable biological resources and nonrenewable stocks of minerals, metals, and fossil fuels
We show the dependencies of the density, tensile strength, and transparency of nanocellulose films on the main technological parameters of the process for obtaining nanocellulose from organosolvent miscanthus pulp (Table 1)
A smooth mass loss is observed in the temperature range 240–500° C, and the final decomposition is observed at a temperature of 540°C
Summary
Industrial developments, as well as changing consumption patterns associated with growing economies and prosperity, contribute to increasing demand for both renewable biological resources and nonrenewable stocks of minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. The limited reserves of mineral resources (oil, gas, and coal) determine the relevance of research in technologies for producing biodegradable materials from the renewable sources of raw materials [1]. Such renewable resources include raw plant materials, the products from the treatment of which have found wide use in various industries: chemical, pharmaceutical, paper, textile, electronic, and others [2, 3]. Nanocellulose has been incorporated into polymer matrices to produce reinforced composites of tenfold to hundredfold mechanical strength [9], as well as enhanced optical transparency [10]. These specific characteristics of nanocellulose reinforce mechanical properties of the polymer and improve the film’s mechanical and/or barrier properties [11, 12]
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