Abstract
The incorporation of spray-dried cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into thermoplastics raises the question about the degree of the mixing, given that typically the former are hydrophilic and the latter hydrophobic. Raman imaging has been used as a non-destructive method for the spatial quantification of the mixing process of CNCs in HDPE. A series of polyethylene based composites was prepared by melt compounding using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as a nano-filler. The cross sectional areas of nanocomposite filaments were investigated using confocal Raman microscopy. The degree of mixing between CNCs and HDPE is quantified using this method. It is shown that CNCs have a strong tendency to agglomerate. However, a certain degree of mixing between CNCs and HDPE is observed from Raman images and chemical images obtained by spectroscopy.
Highlights
Recent years have brought an increasing interest in nanofillers based on cellulosic forms such as αcellulose [1,2], cellulose nanofibres (CNF) [3], microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) [4], and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) [5] to reinforce thermoplastic polymers including polyethylene (PE)
These voids probably derive from poor interfacial adhesion between CNCs and HDPE [1]
The existence of some interaction between CNCs and HDPE seems to be supported by the higher magnification images (Figure 1C and D)
Summary
Recent years have brought an increasing interest in nanofillers based on cellulosic forms such as αcellulose [1,2], cellulose nanofibres (CNF) [3], microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) [4], and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) [5] to reinforce thermoplastic polymers including polyethylene (PE). Raman imaging has been used as a non-destructive method for the spatial quantification of the mixing process of CNCs in HDPE. A series of polyethylene based composites was prepared by melt compounding using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as a nano-filler.
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