Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are bio-based nanofillers that allow access to sustainable composites with enhanced property profiles. However, incorporating these rigid nanorods into most polymer matrices causes significant embrittlement, which limits the applicability of the resulting composites. By grafting polymer chains to CNCs, we can tune matrix-filler interactions, thus limiting the degree of embrittlement. In this work, we attach polymers of various molecular weights at various grafting densities to the CNC surface to examine how the resulting brush conformations impact composite mechanical properties.

Effects of polymer grafting on cellulose nanocrystal composites

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ACS Fall 2022

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