title: Reorientation of cellulose nanowhiskers in agarose hydrogels under tensile loading.
abstract: Agarose hydrogels filled with cellulose nanowhiskers were strained in uniaxial stretching under different humidity conditions. The orientation of the cellulose whiskers was examined before and after testing with an X-ray laboratory source and monitored in situ during loading by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The aim of this approach was to determine the process parameters for reorienting the cellulose nanowhiskers toward a preferential direction. Results show that a controlled drying of the hydrogel is essential to establish interactions between the matrix and the cellulose nanowhiskers which allow for a stress transfer during stretching and thereby promote their alignment. Rewetting of the sample after reorientation of the cellulose nanowhiskers circumvents a critical increase of stress. This improves the extensibility of the hydrogel and is accompanied by a further moderate alignment of the cellulose nanowhiskers. Following this protocol, cellulose nanowhiskers with an initial random distribution can be reoriented toward a preferential direction, creating anisotropic nanocomposites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces , Wissenschafspark Golm, D-14424 Potsdam, Germany. anayancy.osorio@fobawi.uni-freiburg.de
authors.forename: Anayancy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osorio-Madrazo
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eder
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rueggeberg
authors.forename: Jitendra Kumar
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: Matthew James
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harrington
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Putaux
authors.forename: Cyrille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rochas
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Burgert
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D012685:Sepharose / Q000737:chemistry*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose; D012685:Sepharose