Photocured Composite Films with Microfibrillated Cellulose: A Study of Water Vapor Permeability

Photocuring is a crosslinking process, widely employed to produce polymers in the form of film. As it is an environmentally friendly process, it is particularly interesting for the preparation of sustainable materials and composites. In this work, composite self-standing films were obtained combining microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and photocured matrices. To understand the influence of the polarity and surface tension of the matrix on the properties of the composite, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate was selected as a hydrophilic matrix and soybean oil epoxidized acrylate as a hydrophobic matrix. Furthermore, the weight fraction of MFC also varied. The conversion and rate of the curing reaction, and the water vapor permeability were studied and discussed in the light of the morphology and composition of the composites.

Automated summary

This study focused on the preparation of composite self-standing films by combining microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) with photocured matrices. The influence of matrix polarity and surface tension on the properties of the composites was investigated. The results showed that the selection of matrix and the weight fraction of MFC affected the conversion and rate of the curing reaction, as well as the water vapor permeability of the films.