17th International Fiber and Polymer Research Symposium

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Poly(2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) modified cellulose nanocrystals and their PBAT - based nanocomposites

Authors :

EDA JAN YILMAZ ARIKAN¹ YONCA ALKAN GOKSU² AYLIN ALTINBAY³ MOHAMMADREZA NOFAR⁴

1- Istanbul Technical University 2- Istanbul Technical University 3- Istanbul Technical University 4- Istanbul Technical University

Keywords :

poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)،cellulose nanocrystal،surface modification،nanocomposites

Abstract :

In recent years, development of biodegradable polymers and composites for various applications has gained attention for the environment. Due to its high flexibility, toughness, ductility and good processability, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) has been considered as a promising biodegradable polymer for industrial applications. However, mechanical strength and elastic modulus of PBAT can be improved for the applications. In this study, bionanocomposites were prepared by adding cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as nanoparticles to PBAT matrix. CNCs play important roles to develop green nanocomposites with their properties such as superior mechanical and physical behaviour, low density, high surface area, diversifiable chemical reactivity and biocompatibility. On the other hand, due to the strong hydrogen bonds and high hydrophilic structure of CNC, it has a tendency to aggregate in the polymer. In this study, CNC surface was modified with poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) by grafting from method. Considering the effect of length of the polymer chains on the dispersion, different chain lengths were grafted from the CNC surface. Then, modified CNCs were melt mixed with PBAT at 3 wt%. After that rheological properties were examined to detect improvement of dispersion. Moreover, thermal analyses were performed to determine crystallization behaviour and thermal properties of PBAT/mCNC nanocomposites.