Evaluation of Crosslinking Effect on Thermo-mechanical, Acoustic Insulation and Water Absorption Performance of Biomass-Derived Cellulose Cryogels

Cellulose cryogels crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (ECH) were successfully developed from kenaf core biomass via green urea/alkaline solvent system. The effect of ECH concentration (from 3 to 9 wt%) on the pore structure, density, morphology, thermal stability, mechanical properties, water absorption performance and acoustic insulation of cellulose cryogels were studied. It was found that the introduction of ECH affected the porosity and pore volume as well as density and water absorption of cryogels. The increase percentage of ECH has delayed the thermal decomposition of the cellulose cryogels thereby improving their thermal stability. Moreover, the compress stress and the sound absorption coefficient of the cellulose cryogels were enhanced significantly by about 50% and 27%, respectively. This work provides a facile approach to produce cost-effective biomass-derived cellulose cryogels with improved mechanical and thermal stability properties as well as acoustic insulation for preliminary studies of industrial applications.