Ductile nanofibrillar nanocomposite films with a strain at break of 18%, and a tensile strength of 185 MPa, have been fabricated from nanofibrillated bleached kraft fibres partially converted to dialcohol cellulose prior to homogenisation. The conversion to dialcohol cellulose was performed by oxidation with sodium periodate to a degree of oxidation of ca. 30%, followed by reduction with sodium borohydride, and the fabricated films consequentially had one stiff cellulose phase and one flexible dialcohol cellulose phase. The liberated nanofibrils were characterised by AFM, after adsorption onto a silica surface, and imaging in tapping mode showed a blend of elementary fibrils with a width of 5 nm and inter-entangled fibril aggregates with a width of 15�20 nm. Besides good mechanical properties, the films also provided good barrier properties; at 0% RH the oxygen permeability was 2 ml��m/(m2�d�kPa).

Ductile cellulose nanocomposite films fabricated from nanofibrillated cellulose after partial conversion to dialcohol cellulose

245th National Meeting (2013)

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