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. 2019 Dec 11;11(12):2063.
doi: 10.3390/polym11122063.

Effects of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Cellulose Nanofibers on the Structure and Properties of Polyhydroxybutyrate Nanocomposites

Bobo Zhang  1 , Chongxing Huang  1 , Hui Zhao  1 , Jian Wang  1 , Cheng Yin  1 , Lingyun Zhang  1 , Yuan Zhao  1
Affiliations

Effects of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Cellulose Nanofibers on the Structure and Properties of Polyhydroxybutyrate Nanocomposites

Bobo Zhang et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

One of the major obstacles for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, in commercial applications is its poor elongation at break (~3%). In this study, the effects of nanocellulose contents and their types, including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on the crystallization, thermal, and mechanical properties of PHB composites were systematically compared. We explored the toughening mechanisms of PHB by adding CNCs and cellulose CNFs. The results showed that when the morphology of bagasse nanocellulose was rod-like and its content was 1 wt %, the toughening modification of PHB was the best. Compared with pure PHB, the elongation at break and Young's modulus increased by 91.2% and 18.4%, respectively. Cellulose nanocrystals worked as heterogeneous nucleating agents in PHB and hence reduced its crystallinity and consequently improved the toughness of PHB. This simple approach could potentially be explored as a strategy to extend the possible applications of this biopolymer in packaging fields.

Keywords: cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs); cellulose nanofibers (CNFs); mechanical properties; polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TEM images of the two nanocelluloses: (a) cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs); (b) cellulose nanofibers (CNFs).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Appearance of bagasse fibers and two nanocelluloses: (a) Dispersion of bagasse fibers; (b) Suspension of CNCs; (c) Suspension of CNFs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement of the cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) suspension, (b) DLS measurement of the cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) suspension, (c) TEM measurement of the CNCs—width, (d) TEM measurement of the CNCs—length, (e) TEM measurement of the CNFs—width.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) diagrams of the two nanocelluloses: (a) topography of CNCs, (b) phase diagram of CNCs, (c) topography of CNFs, and (d) phase diagram of CNFs.
Figure 5
Figure 5
X-ray diffraction pattern of bagasse cellulose (BC), CNCs, and CNFs.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of the different concentrations of cellulose nanocrystals on the impact cross-section of PHB/CNCs (SEM image): (a) pure PHB, (b) 1 wt %, (c) 3 wt %, (d) 5 wt %.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effect of the different concentrations of cellulose nanofibrils on the impact cross-section of PHB/CNFs (SEM image): (a) pure PHB, (b) 1 wt %, (c) 3 wt %, (d) 5 wt %.
Figure 8
Figure 8
X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of PHB/CNCs and PHB/CNFs composite films: (a) PHB; (b) PHB/CNC1; (c) PHB/CNC3; (d) PHB/CNF5; (e) PHB/CNF1; (f) PHB/CNF3; (g) PHB/CNF5.
Figure 9
Figure 9
DSC second heating curve of pure PHB, PHB/CNCs, and PHB/CNFs composite films.
Figure 10
Figure 10
DSC first cooling curve for pure PHB, PHB/CNCs, and PHB/CNFs composite films.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Effect of nanocellulose content on the mechanical properties of composites: (a) tensile strength, (b) elongation at break, and (c) Young’s modulus.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Water vapor and oxygen transmission rates against CNCs content for neat PHB and PHB/CNCs nanocomposite film.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Water vapor and oxygen transmission rate against CNFs content for neat PHB and PHB/CNFs nanocomposite film.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Transmittance curves of nanocellulose/PHB nanocomposite films with UV–visible light at different nanocellulose mass fractions.
Figure 15
Figure 15
(a) Thermogravimetric (TG) and (b) differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves of PHB/CNCs composite films.
Figure 16
Figure 16
(a) TG and (b) DTG curves of PHB/CNCs composite films.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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