Structural and mechanical properties of cellulose composites made of isolated cellulose nanofibers and poly(vinyl alcohol)

Yukako Oishi, Masaki Nakaya, Eitaro Matsui, Atsushi Hotta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A composite of cellulose-nanofibers (Cel-F)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was made through a developed water-jet nano-isolation process called the Star Burst processing (SB). The structural and the mechanical properties of the pure Cel-F and the Cel-F/PVA composites were analyzed for comparison. The microstructural analyses revealed the step-by-step nano-isolation procedures of the SB processing, eventually constructing nanofibers with the minimum diameter of ∼23 nm. It was also found that the crystallinity of Cel-F was rapidly increased by 14% at the early stage of the SB process, subsequently becoming almost constant, irrespective of the number of the SB treatments. Additionally, Cel-F were homogenously dispersed in PVA matrix after 40 SB treatments. Young's modulus of the resulting composite was increased by 48%. The results were in good agreement with the outcome of the short-fiber composite theory, indicating a highly potential use of the SB-processed cellulose nanofibers as new reinforcement materials.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)72-79
Number of pages8
JournalComposites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
Volume73
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015 Jun

Keywords

  • A. Polymer fiber
  • A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
  • B. Mechanical properties
  • B. Microstructures

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Mechanics of Materials

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