Abstract
The focus of this study is to examine the effect of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) on the properties of polylactic acid (PLA) films. The films are fabricated via melt compounding and melt fiber spinning followed by compression molding. Film fracture morphology, thermal properties, crystallization behavior, thermo-mechanical behavior, and mechanical behavior were determined as a function of CNC content using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, dynamic mechanical analysis, and tensile testing. Film crystallinity increases with increasing CNC content indicating CNC act as nucleating agents, promoting crystallization. Furthermore, the addition of CNC increased the film storage modulus and slightly broadened the glass transition region.
Highlights
There has been much interest in recent years to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives to currently used plastics in the packaging industry
polylactic acid (PLA) is a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based thermoplastics, such as polyethylene terephalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS), as it is biodegradable and environmentally friendly [2,3]
The unique processing aspect of the current study is that it focuses on fabricating cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)/PLA films via a two-step process: (1) melt compounding using direct liquid feeding, followed by melt fiber spinning and (2) compression molding
Summary
There has been much interest in recent years to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives to currently used plastics in the packaging industry. The unique processing aspect of the current study is that it focuses on fabricating CNC/PLA films via a two-step process: (1) melt compounding using direct liquid feeding, followed by melt fiber spinning and (2) compression molding. Fabrication of melt spun CNC/PLA fibers has previously been investigated and the composite fibers displayed enhanced thermal stability due to the hindered polymer chain mobility upon addition of CNC [16]; these fibers were not compression molded to make films. This additional step may alter thermal-mechanical properties. The compression molded films produced in the current study were examined by fracture surface morphology, crystallization behavior, thermo-mechanical properties, and mechanical properties
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