title: Facile Route to Transparent, Strong, and Thermally Stable Nanocellulose/Polymer Nanocomposites from an Aqueous Pickering Emulsion.
abstract: Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) is a promising nanofiller for polymer nanocomposite materials, and a critical challenge in designing these materials is organization of the nanostructure using a facile process. Here, we report a facile aqueous preparation process for nanostructured polystyrene (PS)/CNF composites via the formation of a CNF-stabilized Pickering emulsion. PS nanoparticles, with a narrow size distribution, were synthesized by free radical polymerization in water using CNF as a stabilizer. The nanoparticles were easily collected by filtration, and the resulting material had a composite structure of PS nanoparticles embedded in a CNF framework. The PS/CNF nanocomposite showed high optical transparency, strength, and thermal dimensional stability. Thus, this technique provides a simple and environmentally friendly method for the preparation of novel CNF/polymer nanocomposite materials.
authors.affiliation: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba 305-8687, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5221-6781
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.affiliation: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba 305-8687, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Togawa
authors.affiliation: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba 305-8687, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuroda
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D004655:Emulsions; D006358:Hot Temperature; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D011108:Polymers; D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose