Cellulose nanocrystals are stiff, high aspect ratio, nanoparticles that can be extracted from a number of renewable resources including woods, grasses and bacteria. For more than two decades, researchers have sought to use CNCs as reinforcing agents in rigid polymer nanocomposites, yet despite some notable examples, formulation of CNC-polymer nanocomposites still proves to be difficult. The low thermal stability of CNCs and incompatibility with hydrophobic polymer matrices often results in poor particle dispersion and overall limited material performance. While many researchers have utilized surface modification, dispersion aids or multistep solvent exchanges to mitigate challenges, these methods can be impractical at the industrial scale. In this work, we prepare CNC nanocomposites via a simple one-step interfacial polymerization of polyamide. By incorporating CNCs directly into the aqueous phase containing amine monomers, we are able create macroscopic polymer nanocomposites with controlled architectures, including free-standing, thin films and capsules. We explore the effect of particle loading, monomer concentration and reaction temperature in an effort to understand nanocomposite formation and structure. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy reveal that CNCs are drawn to the interface and incorporated into nanocomposites without the need for surface modification or dispersion aids. This work provides the ground work for a simple one-step method for preparing CNC-polymer nanocomposites for various applications such as electronic separators, waste water treatment devices and adhesives.

Incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals into polyamide nanocomposites with controlled architecture via interfacial polymerization

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.