Cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) have been attracting attention as reinforcing fillers in nanocomposite materials because of a combination of their high surface area, unique morphology, and favorable response to stress. To evaluate CNs as potential fillers for poly(e-caprolactone fumarate) (PCLF), which has been widely investigated as a potential polymer in the fabrication of scaffolds due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity, a stable suspension of CNs in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was prepared by solvent-exchanging an aqueous suspension of CNs with acetone and then with DMF by several successive centrifugation and redispersion steps. In this study, CNs/PCLF nanocomposite films with CN contents ranged from 0 to 20 wt% were obtained via photo-crosslinking at room temperature. The effects of CN content on the morphology, structural, thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting crosslinking nanocomposite films were investigated by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravmetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and mechanical properties measurements.

Fabrication and properties of cellulose nanocrystal/poly(e-caprolactone fumarate) nanocomposites

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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