Exploring new nanofillers is one of the many challenges for the nanocomposite community in order to develop nanocomposite materials with specific properties. Among such materials readily available, cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) have attracted a great deal of interest due to their renewability and biodegradability, in addition to their appealing intrinsic properties such as low density, outstanding mechanical properties and nanoscale dimensions, imparting a very high surface area. More importantly, CNW possess spectacular optical properties originating from their ability to self-organize into liquid crystalline arrangements. These impressive properties may open the way for their applications in coatings.The aim of the present work is to prepare new hybrid nanocomposites based on an acrylic polymeric matrix, obtained by free-radical copolymerization of two monomers widely used for coating applications, namely 2-ethylhexylacrylate (EHA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and loaded with CNWs. Solvent casting and convective-assembly were used as processing methods to prepare thin and ultrathin films with various CNW loadings. The resulting films were further crosslinked by an UV-induced curing. The processing conditions of each method were optimized and the properties of the obtained films were examined by appropriate techniques. Strong interactions between the polymeric matrix and CNW were revealed, contributing to a significant improvement of the thermal stability and mechanical properties of both nanocomposite films. More importantly, different CNWs organizations were obtained resulting either from self-organization of CNW (solvent-casting) or shear-induced alignment (convection).

Properties of cellulosic nanowhiskers embedded in an acrylic based copolymer: From bulk to ultrathin films

245th National Meeting (2013)

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