Effect of pre-acid-hydrolysis treatment on morphology and properties of cellulose nanowhiskers from coconut husk

Three different pre-acid-hydrolysis treatments were used to treat coconut husk fibers for preparing cellulose nanowhiskers by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The effects of those treatments on the morphology and properties of the nanowhiskers were investigated. FTIR was employed to evaluate the change of chemical composition due to different pre-acid-hydrolysis treatments. AFM images showed that there was no significant difference of size of nanowhiskers obtained by different pre-acid-hydrolysis treatment, 2-3 nm of average thickness. The thermal decomposition of nanowhiskers shifted to higher temperatures with removal of hemicellulose and lignin.