title: Effect of rheological properties of dissolved cellulose/microfibrillated cellulose blend suspensions on film forming.
abstract: Enzymatically treated cellulose was dissolved in a NaOH/ZnO solvent system and mixed together with microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) in order to find the threshold in which MFC fibers form a percolation network within the dissolved cellulose solution and in order to improve the properties of regenerated cellulose films. In the aqueous state, correlations between the rheological properties of dissolved cellulose/MFC blend suspensions and MFC fiber concentrations were investigated and rationalized. In addition, rheological properties of diluted MFC suspensions were characterized and a correlation with NaOH concentration was found, thus partly explaining the flow properties of dissolved cellulose/MFC blend suspensions. Finally, based on results from Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), MFC addition had strengthening/plasticizing effect on regenerated cellulose films if low concentrations of MFC, below the percolation threshold (5.5-6 wt%, corresponding to 0.16-0.18 wt% of MFC in the blend suspensions), were used.
authors.affiliation: PolymerTechnology, Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland. Electronic address: eve.saarikoski@aalto.fi.
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saarikoski
authors.affiliation: Tampere University of Technology, Department of Materials Science, P.O. Box 589, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland. Electronic address: marja.rissanen@tut.fi.
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rissanen
authors.affiliation: PolymerTechnology, Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland. Electronic address: jukka.seppala@aalto.fi.
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seppälä
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D012212:Rheology; D033081:Shear Strength; D012995:Solubility; D012996:Solutions; D013535:Suspensions / Q000737:chemistry*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions; D013535:Suspensions; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: Blend; Dissolved cellulose; Microfibrillated cellulose; Rheology; Suspension