Thermomechanical Analysis of Isora Nanofibril Incorporated Polyethylene Nanocomposites

The research on cellulose fiber-reinforced nanocomposites has increased by an unprecedented magnitude over the past few years due to its wide application range and low production cost. However, the incompatibility between cellulose and most thermoplastics has raised significant challenges in composite fabrication. This paper addresses the behavior of plasma-modified polyethylene (PE) reinforced with cellulose nanofibers extracted from isora plants (i.e., isora nanofibrils (INFs)). The crystallization kinetics of PE-INF composites were explained using the Avrami model. The effect of cellulose nanofillers on tuning the physiochemical properties of the nanocomposite was also explored in this work. The increase in mechanical properties was due to the uniform dispersion of fillers in the PE. The investigation on viscoelastic properties confirmed good filler-matrix interactions, facilitating the stress transfer.

Automated summary

Research on cellulose fiber-reinforced nanocomposites has increased significantly in recent years due to wide application range and low production cost. However, the incompatibility between cellulose and most thermoplastics poses challenges in composite fabrication. This study explores plasma-modified polyethylene reinforced with cellulose nanofibers and investigates the impact of cellulose nanofillers on tuning the physiochemical properties of the nanocomposite. The increase in mechanical properties is attributed to the uniform dispersion of fillers in the polyethylene, and good filler-matrix interactions facilitate stress transfer.