title: Reinforcement of all-cellulose nanocomposite films using native cellulose nanofibrils.
abstract: All-cellulose nanocomposite films were prepared using native cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as fillers and lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide (LiCl/DMAc) dissolved regenerated cellulose as the matrix. The CNFs, with diameters in the range of 15-40 nm were obtained by combined physical methods of ultrasonic treatment and high shear homogenization. The morphology, structure, and properties of the nanocomposite films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical transmittance, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and mechanical testing. The nanocomposite films exhibited good optical transparency, thermal stability, and remarkably enhanced mechanical properties compared to the regenerated cellulose matrix. By varying the CNFs content, the tensile strength of the nanocomposite films increased from 61.56 MPa to 99.92 MPa and the Young's modulus increased from 0.76 GPa to 4.16 GPa. This work provided a promising pathway for manufacturing high performance and environmental-friendly all-cellulose nanocomposites.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute at Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
authors.forename: Jiangqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute at Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute at Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
authors.forename: Yaru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute at Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. Electronic address: weizhang@scu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute at Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
authors.forename: Xinxing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and IPST at GT, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0620, GA USA.
authors.forename: Xiaodan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and IPST at GT, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0620, GA USA.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute at Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. Electronic address: canhuilu@263.net.
authors.forename: Canhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose
keywords: All-cellulose composites; Cellulose nanofibrils; Mechanical properties; Optical transparency; Self-reinforcement