(217b) Biodegradable Nanocomposites

Cellulose is the most important naturally abundant and renewable polymer. However, cellulose is a material that does not melt at the temperature lower than its degradation temperature. Strong intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the cellulose prevent its molecules from dissolution in most common solvents. For this reason, cellulosed nanocomposites have not been well studied. In this study, montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay was used as the cellulose enhancement agent to improve the cellulose physical properties. N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide monohydrate (NMMO) was used as the solvent to dissolve the natural cellulose.

The dispersibility of MMTs in pure cellulose was investigated using 7 different MMTs. Hydrophobicity of each MMT was compared and interaction force between MMT particles and cellulose matrix also was measured. The exfoliated and intercalated structure of the cellulose/MMT nanocomposites was observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The tensile strength, modulus and thermal stability of nanocomposites increased with montmorillonite in the regenerated cellulose films. Changes of physical properties with different ratios of MMT contents were shown.