Bacterial cellulose/montmorillonite bionanocomposites prepared by immersion and in-situ methods: structural, mechanical, thermal, swelling and dehydration properties

In this research work, bacterial cellulose/montmorillonite bionanocomposites were prepared and their properties studied thoroughly. The bionanocomposites were prepared through two different methods, including the in situ and immersion methods. The prepared bionanocomposites were characterized by employing the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning calorimetery techniques. The mechanical properties of the samples were also studied. It was shown that the prepared bionanocomposites have enhanced storage modulus compared with the pure bacterial cellulose. Furthermore, it was observed that by incorporating the montmorillonite nanoparticles, the thermal properties of the bionanocomposites, such as thermal stability are improved. Moisture absorption (swelling) and water release (dehydration) properties, as important properties of the bionanocomposites in the biomedical applications, have been investigated. The swelling behavior of the prepared bionanocomposites showed that the samples containing higher amount of montmorillonite had higher swelling values. It was also found that by increasing the amount of montmorillonite in the bionanocomposites, longer duration is needed for dehydration of samples and the dominant mechanism of the mass transfer is the non-Fickian diffusion.