Simultaneous Nanofibrillation and Compounding of Wood Pulp Fibers Using Polyols as Plasticizers:Fabricating High-Performance Cellulose-Nanofiber-Reinforced Polyethylene Composites

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<p>As a reinforcing filler for polymer composite materials, cellulose nanofiber (CNF) is a promising alternative to conventional fillers from the viewpoints of its low cost, low density, biodegradability, high stiffness, and safety. A promising strategy for the preparation of CNF-reinforced polymer composite materials involves in-situ nanofibrillation, in which as-received wood pulp fibers are nanofibrillated into CNFs during the melt-compounding process. To further streamline this process, in this study, we used low-molecular-weight polyols, such as glycerol and glucitol, as nanofibrillation-assisting plasticizers, since polyols are expected to migrate and plasticize into the spaces between cellulose microfibrils in wood cell walls and break down the wood pulp fibers into CNFs. Never-dried needle-leaf bleached kraft pulp (NBKP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and a diblock copolymer (BCP), were used as the CNF resource, polymer matrix, and dispersant,respectively. The isolated cellulose fibers produced by the in situ process had diameters of between 200 and 500 nm. Furthermore, under the optimized conditions, the prepared composite material exhibited superior mechanical properties, with a Youngʼs modulus and tensile strength of 3 GPa and 44 MPa, respectively, when produced with 10 wt% NBKP. These values correspond to a four-fold higher Youngʼs modulus and a two-fold higher tensile strength than neat HDPE. Finally, the plasticization effects of glucitol and urea are compared and discussed from the viewpoints of the mechanical properties against the degree of nanofibrillation. This study provides a potential approach for an industrial-scale process.</p>

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