Thermoplastic nanocomposites based on cellulose microfibrils from Opuntia ficus-indica parenchyma cell

Cellulose microfibril aqueous suspensions were prepared from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes following a method previously developed for the extraction of microfibrils from sugar beet roots. Nanocomposite materials were obtained by casting and evaporating a mixture of this suspension and model polymeric amorphous matrix composed of an aqueous suspension of a copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate. The mechanical properties in both the linear and non-linear range as well as the swelling behavior of the resulting films were investigated. High performance materials were obtained because of both the very high aspect ratio of the filler and the resulting possibility of entanglements and the highly reactive surface of the cellulosic filler presenting a high density of hydroxyl groups. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.