We report on a facile method to prepare nanocellulose/polymer composite microparticles by templating an o/w emulsion stabilized by nanocellulose. Surface-carboxylated nanocellulose with a width of ~3 nm was prepared by TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine- 1-oxyl)-mediated oxidation of softwood bleached kraft pulp and subsequent mechanical disintegration of the oxidized pulp in water. Nanocellulose-stabilized monomer/water emulsion system was formed by sonicating the nanocellulose/water dispersion and monomer, and the average diameter of the monomer droplets was ~3 μm. By polymerizing the monomer encapsulated, polymer microparticles stabilized by the nanocelluloses were successfully prepared. The microparticles kept the size and shape of the original monomer droplet, and had an average diameter of ~3μm.The microparticles showed good dispersibility in water, because the surfaces are densely covered with the TEMPO-oxidized nanocelluloses. ζ-potential of the nanocellulose/polymer composite microparticles was about −50 mV, which is as high as that of the original TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose. Scanning electron microscopic images showed that the surfaces of the microparticles are homogeneously covered with the nanocellulose. This novel composite material could be extended to many application, i ncluding food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical applications, due to their unique characters originating from their fine sizes. Therefore, this technique paves the way toward novel green nanocomposite production using a facile and scalable process.

Nanocellulose/polymer composite microparticles prepared by emulsion-templated synthesis

255th National Meeting (2018)

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