All cellulose nanocomposites produced by extrusion

A transparent biobased nanocomposite of 5 wt% cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), plasticized by triethyl citrate (TEC), was produced by melt extrusion. The cellulose nanowhiskers were prepared from commercially available microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) by hydrochloric acid hydrolysis. The plasticizer, TEC, was solved in the whisker suspension and this suspension was pumped into the extruder during the compounding process. Scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis were used to study the structure and properties of the nanocomposite. The tensile modulus and strength indicated an improvement with 300% and 100%, respectively, compared to neat CAB but the elongation at break was decreased. Further more, the softening temperature of CAB was extended for the nanocomposite. Results from DMTA showed that the tan delta peak temperature was shifted by 31 degrees C, from 117 degrees C to 148 degrees C with addition of CNW in CAB. The extrusion process with liquid feeding was shown to be successful for this material combination.