Study of the Properties of Microcrystalline Cellulose Particles from Different Renewable Resources by XRD, FTIR, Nanoindentation, TGA and SEM

The main objective of this work was to extract microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) particles from different cellulosic resources like cotton, jute, newsprint, filter paper and investigate their suitability as green reinforcing material in biocomposites. The MCC particles were extracted by acid hydrolysis with 64% sulphuric acid. The processing parameters like acid concentration, temperature, time and mechanical force were kept constant. The MCC particles were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The viscoelastic properties of the MCC particles were investigated with the help of nanoindentation technique for the first time. The acid hydrolysis changed the %crystallinity and crystallite sizes of the MCC particles compared to their source materials. The modulus and hardness of the MCC particles varied significantly depending on their precursors. The presence of non-cellulosic constituents controlled the deformation behaviour of the MCC particles. The thermal stability of the MCC particles was correlated with the tangling effect of the flexible cellulose chains.