Optical and mechanical properties of polyurethane/surface-modified nanocrystalline cellulose composites

in order to improve the optical and mechanical performances of waterborne polyurethane （WPU）, nanocrystalline cellulose （NCC）/WPU composites were synthesized in this study. NCC （prepared by acid hydrolysis of cotton fiber） was modified by （3-aminopropyl）triethoxysilane （APTES） to enhance its compatibility with WPU, and the surface-modified NCC was characterized by grafting ratio, crystallinity and contact angle （CA）. NCC/WPU composites were examined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray powder diffraction （XRD） and thermogravimetric analysis （TG）. The anti-yellowing property, specular gloss, pencil hardness, and abrasion resistance of NCC/WPU composites were investigated by the methods of Chinese National Standards GB/T 23999-2009, GB/T 9754-2007, GB/T 6739-2006 and GB/T 1768-2006, respectively. The results showed that the grafting ratio of NCC modified by 6% APTES was 36.01% and the crystallinity of modified NCC was decreased with the enhancement of APTES. CA of the modified NCC was decreased by 28.8% and the nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in the WPU matrix. The XRD patterns of the NCC/WPU composites were relatively steady, while the thermal stability of the composites was enhanced by 6.7% with 1.0 wt% modified NCC. Modified NCC affected the specular gloss of NCC/WPU composites more obviously than the anti-yellowing property. The pencil hardness of NCC/WPU composites was increased from 2H to 4H by addition of NCC and the abrasion resistance of the composites was enhanced significantly. In general, NCC/WPU composites showed significant improvements in the optical and mechanical performances.     

Carboxyl-functionalized Nanocellulose Reinforced Nanocomposite Proton Exchange Membrane

Nanocellulose(NCC) was prepared through the acid hydrolysis of microcellulose(MCC) and was reacted with maleic anliydride to obtain carboxyl-functionized nanocellulose(MA-NCCs). The presence of .OH and .SO3H on the surface of rod-like MA-NCC was confirmed by Fourier transfonn infrared spectrometry(FTIR). Sulfonated poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone)(Ph-SPEEKK) was synthesized with bis(4-fluorophenyl-methanone) and 2-phenylhydroquinone as monomer. MA-NCC/Ph-SPEEKK nanocomposite membranes with different MA-NCCs content were prepared, and their properties were characterized. Compared with Ph-SPEEKK, MA-NCC/Ph-SPEEKK nanocomposite membrane showed better mechanical and thermal properties and higher proton conductivity. The proton conductivity of the composite membrane with 4%(mass fraction) MA-NCCs under 80℃ was 0.095 S/cm. And its tensile strength reached 30.3 MPa, which was 21.2% higher than that of Ph-SPEEKK pure polymer membrane.     

A METHOD OF PREPARING SPHERICAL NANO-CRYSTAL CELLULOSE WITH MIXED CRYSTALLINE FORMS OF CELLULOSE Ⅰ AND Ⅱ

A new kind of nano-crysta cellulose (NCC) prepared from natural cotton fiber has been obtained by the method ofacid hydrolysis. Compared to most other nanophase materials that derive from inorganic materials, our products are preparedfrom natural cotton fibers. The products are of spherical shape with mixed crystal forms of cellulose I and II. The preparationconditions determine the properties of the products. Prior treatment is a critical procedure. The properties of the products arealso strongly affected by such conditions as the kinds of acids used, the ratio of the acid mixture, the acid concentration, theultrasonic agitation time and hydrolysis temperature. The number average molecular weight of NCC is determined by gelpermeation chromatography (GPC). The particle size and shape were determined by transmission electron microscopy(TEM). X-ray diffraction was used to detect the crystallinity and average crystallite size of the panicle.     

SILYLATION OF CELLULOSE WITH TRICHLOROSILANE AND TRIETHOXYSILANE IN HOMOGENEOUS LiCl/N,N-DIMETHYLACETAMIDE SOLUTION*

Silyl celluloses (SiC) were prepared by reacting cellulose with chloropropyltrichlorosilane (CPTCSi) andchloropropyltriethoxysilane (CPTESi) in LiCl/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The Si content in the silyl cellulose could becontrolled by adjustment of the molar ratio of silane and cellulose. FT-IR spectra showed that cellulose was readily reactedwith the above two silane reagents, and the reactivity of CPTCSi is higher than that of CPTESi. It was presumed that thereaction process belongs to graft-polymerization. The results of differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicated that thethermostability of the materials produced increased with the increase of Si content in the sample. The acid resistance of thesamples SiC in 1 mol/L HCl aqueous solution was improved significantly. When Si content was ca. 20%, the silyl cellulosehas excellent thermostability, hydrophobicity, low density and stability in 1 mol/L HCl aqueous solution, owing tocrosslinking of cellulose chain with silane.     

Highly Hydrolysis-Resistant Polyimide Fibers Prepared by Thermal Crosslinking with Inherent Carboxyl Groups

Easy hydrolysis in alkaline environments limits the use of polyimide fibers in environmental protection. The hydrolysis resistance levels of polyimide fibers can be improved by crosslinking of the macromolecular chains. In this work, crosslinked polyimide fibers(CPI fibers) were produced by intrinsic carboxyl decarboxylation for the first time. The thermal stability of the polyimide fibers containing the intrinsic carboxyl groups(PIC fibers) was studied, and the temperature of the decarboxylatio...     

SURFACE OF GELATIN MODIFIED POLY(L-LACTIC ACID)FILM

In this paper, the surface structure of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) film modified with gelatin was investigated. ThePLLA film specimens were treated directly with aqueous alkali solution to provide their surfaces with carboxyl groups, sothat these functional groups could become the reactive sites for gelatin immobilization. The functional groups of the PLLAfilms were identified by ATR-FTIR spectra and XPS spectra, the changes in surface morphology were observed by usingenvironmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and the hydrophilicity of modified PLLA films was examined bywater contact angle measurement. Experimental results showed that the gelatin was immobilized with water-solublecarbodiimide (EDC) onto the PLLA film's surfaces, and the gelatin content on the polymer surface was related to carboxylicgroup formed in the controlled hydrolysis process. Rough surfaces caused by hydrolysis will predominantly favor the adhesion and growth of cell; and the hydrophilicity of these surfaces after the modification procedure is enhanced.     

Improved Performance of W／HZSM-5 Catalysts for Dehydroaromatization of Methane

The dehydroaramatization of methane over W-supported ZSM-5 with varying degrees of Li^ ion-exchanged catalysts was studied with and without oxygen at 1073 K and atmospheric pressure.Catalyst activity and stability were found to be influenced by the catalyst acidity related to BrSnsted acid sites and by the presence of oxygen in the feed. The NH3-TPD and FTIR-pyridine results demonstrated that partially exchanged of H^ ions by Li^ into the W/HZSM-5 catalysts could be used to control the amount of strong acid sites on the catalyst surface. Without oxygen, the 3WHLi-Z (5:1) catalyst that has strong acid sites equal to nearly 74% of the original strong acid sites in the parent HZSM-5 exhibited the highest methane conversion and selectivity towards aromatics. However, the catalyst deactivated in a five hour period. In the presence of oxygen, the catalyst activity and stability could be improved further.The results of this study revealed that a suitable amount of strong Bronsted acid sites as well as oxygen addition in the feed increased the catalyst activity and stability. The 3WHLi-Z(5:1) catalyst exhibited improved performance in the dehydroaromatization of methane.     

A Monte Carlo simulation study of the effect of chain length on the hydrolysis of poly(lactic acid)

Abstract The intrinsic relationship between molecular chain length and the probability of chain reaction during poly(lactic acid)(PLA)hydrolysis was investigated by Monte Carlo simulation.The chain reaction rate was calculated by introducing a power function of different molecular chain lengths.The hydrolysis of both amorphous and extended-chain crystal PLA was selected as the model system.It is found that,the chain reaction probability was proportional to the chain length with a power of 0.4 for amorphous PLA and 0.7 1 for extended-chain crystal PLA,respectively.These results indicate that PLA with longer chain length usually exhibits larger reaction rate than that with shorter length.Comparing the hydrolysis of the two kinds of PLA,the competition between longer and shorter chains in the different condensed structures is different.     

制备条件对SiO2改性氧化铝材料耐热性能的影响

The thermal stabilization mechanism of silica and effect of preparation conditions on the thermal stability of silica-modified alumina have been investigated by low temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption, XRD, TEM and ²⁷Al MAS NMR. The results show that the addition of silica is effective in suppressing α phase transformation and therefore, in maintaining large surface area of alumina after heating at elevated temperatures. The stabilization effect of the silica species increases with the rise of silica content, however, the overabundance of silica species weakens its stabilization effect. The preparation conditions influence the thermal stability of alumina and stabilization effect of silica. Employing solgel and supercritical drying methods, silica-doped alumina materials with high thermal stability were prepared using NaAlO₂ and water-soluble sodium silicate.     

Synthesis and properties of organo-fly ash/polyaniline with core/shell structure based on emulsion polymerization

Organo-fly ash(OFA) was prepared with pretreated fly ash(FA) and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMAB),and the composites composed of OFA and polyaniline were obtained by emulsion polymerization at different OFA weight ratios(2.0 wt%,5.0 wt%,10.0 wt%,15.0 wt%and 20.0 wt%) in the presence of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid as dopant and emulsifier.A polymerization procedure was supposed.The electrical conductivities of the composites were tested by the four-probe technique.The chemical structure and crystallinity of the composites were confirmed by FT-IR and X-ray diffraction,respectively.Morphologies of FA,OFA and the composites were observed by SEM.The element analysis was performed by energy dispersive spectrometry.The thermal stability of the composites was analyzed by TGA.The results showed that the electrical conductivity of the composites decreased with increasing the feed weight ratio of OFA,and the lowest value was 0.62 S/cm.HDTMAB and PAn were just adsorbed on the surface of FA and OFA,respectively according to the physical adsorption without destroying the crystalline structure of FA or OFA.The surface became smoother after organification of FA by using HDTMAB,and its content on FA surfaces was about 26.9 wt%.The core/shell structure of the composite was observed by SEM analysis.The composites showed a higher thermal stability than pure PAn by introduction of OFA into this polymerization system,the heat stability of PAn was increased by decreasing 31.8 wt%of weight loss after introducing 20 wt%of OFA.     

The nanocellulose biorefinery: woody versus herbaceous agricultural wastes for NCC production

In the present work two agricultural residues (apple tree pruning and pea stalks) were studied as sources of nanocellulose. Different pretreatments that might be used in a biorefinery were applied to these lignocellulosic materials: autohydrolysis, organosolv (acetosolv) and alkaline pretreatments. After conventional bleaching, the resulting cellulosic fractions were submitted to a classical acid hydrolysis for nanocellulose crystal (NCC) production. The results showed that after applying different pretreatments, the resulting NCCs had different lengths (from 300 to 676 nm), surface charges (from 17 to 98 μmol acid groups/g NCC), purity (from 0.3 to 11.6% w/w of inorganics), crystallinity indexes and even allomorphism. These results highlighted the importance that cellulose source and particularly the applied pretreatments have on nanocrystal properties and suggest how biorefining pathways for lignocellulosic materials could customize such NCC features as surface reactivity or suitability for chemical modification.     

Comparing microcrystalline with spherical nanocrystalline cellulose from waste cotton fabrics

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and spherical nanocrystalline cellulose (SNCC) were successfully prepared from waste cotton fabrics through acid hydrolysis. The comparative analysis of the morphology and structure between the obtained MCC and SNCC was carried out. The SNCC suspension exhibited higher stability than the MCC suspension. Transmission electron microscopy in combination with atomic force microscopy showed that the cellulose nanospheres with average size of 35?nm were achieved, while the average particle size of MCC was 49?μm. The MCC and SNCC had similar functional groups and crystalline structure as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. Viscometric average molecular weight measurement and thermo gravimetric analysis indicated that the degree of polymerization and thermal stability of SNCC was lower than that of MCC. These results should improve understanding of the characteristics of MCC and SNCC derived from waste cotton fabrics and lead to many new applications.     

Acid hydrolysis of carboxymethylcellulose of low degree of substitution

Cotton cellulose was swollen in a sodium hydroxide solution and carboxymethylated by a two-bath method for different periods of time for each process. The kinetics of acid hydrolysis and the crystallinity of the swollen and carboxymethylated samples were measured. The proportion of broken bonds, rate constants for hydrolysis, and permeability of cellulose to hydrolyzing agents were calculated. The susceptibility of glycosidic linkages to acid hydrolysis was improved by carboxymethylation more than by swelling in alkali. The increased accessibility of carboxymethylcellulose to acid was regarded as a consequence of increased intra-and intercrystalline swelling and of the glycosidic bonds' weakness caused by the electron-attracting carboxymethyl group on the C-6 position.     

Synthesis and characterization of microcrystalline cellulose produced from bacterial cellulose

In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared from the acid hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose (BC) produced in culture medium of static Acetobacter xylinum. The MCC-BC produced an average particle size between 70 and 90 μm and a degree of polymerization (DP) of 250. The characterization of samples was performed by thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MCC shows a lower thermal stability than the pristine cellulose, which was expected due to the decrease in the DP during the hydrolysis process. In addition, from X-ray diffractograms, we observed a change in the crystalline structure. The images of SEM for the BC and MCC show clear differences with modifications of BC fiber structure and production of particles with characteristics similar to commercial MCC.     

Cellulose nanocrystals obtained from microcrystalline cellulose by p-toluene sulfonic acid hydrolysis,NaOH and ethylenediamine treatment

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were first isolated from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) by p-toluene sulfonic acid (p-TsOH) hydrolysis. Cellulose II nanocrystal (CNC II) and cellulose III nanocrystal (CNC III) were then formed by swelling the obtained cellulose I nanocrystal (CNC I) in concentrated sodium hydroxide solutions and ethylenediamine (EDA) respectively. The properties of CNC I, CNC II and CNC III were subjected to comprehensive characterization by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results indicated that CNC I, CNC II and CNC III obtained in this research had high crystallinity index and good thermal stability. The degradation temperatures of the resulted CNC I, CNC II and CNC III were 300 °C, 275 °C and 242 °C, respectively. No ester bonds were found in the resulting CNCs. CNCs prepared in this research also had large aspect ratio and high negative zeta potential.

     

纳米微晶纤维素表面改性研究

分别对纳米微晶纤维素(NCC)的表面进行醋酸酯化、羟乙基化和羟丙基化改性,利用FT-IR、TEM、13C-NMR、TGA对改性产物进行表征,研究不同的表面改性方法对纳米微晶纤维素性能的影响.结果表明,利用这几种方法改性后的NCC,经干燥后都可以重新分散在适当的溶剂中,且颗粒粒径没有明显变化,但不同改性产物的热性能有所差异.     

Utilization of cellulose nitrate waste

A two-step procedure for utilization of cellulose nitrate waste accumulated at industrial enterprises of the Russian Federation was suggested and experimentally checked. The procedure involves hydrolysis of cellulose nitrate in alkaline medium and incineration of hydrolysis products. The best reagents for complete hydrolysis of cellulose nitrate are aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate. As demonstrated by thermal analysis and thermodynamic calculations, incineration of cellulose nitrate base hydrolysis products can be performed without using hydrocarbon fuel.     

Coupled acid and enzyme mediated production of microcrystalline cellulose from corn cob and cotton gin waste

Microcrystalline cellulose has applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and other industries. Most microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is produced from dissolving pulp using concentrated acids. We investigated steam explosion treatment of corn cobs and cotton gin waste for the production of microcrystalline cellulose. The corn cob was converted into a coarse brown powder after steam explosion and the lignin and residual hemicellulose fractions were extracted respectively with sodium hydroxide solution and water. The residual cellulose was readily bleached with hydrogen peroxide and converted to microcrystalline cellulose using hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and cellulase enzyme preparation. The resulting microcrystalline cellulose samples had properties that were similar to commercial microcrystalline cellulose. Similarly, cotton gin waste was steam exploded and converted into microcrystalline cellulose, but this material was more difficult to bleach using hydrogen peroxide. The degree of polymerization for the MCC samples ranged from 188.6 to 549.8 compared to 427.4 for Avicel PH101 MCC.     

A study of the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of microcrystalline cellulose particles prepared from cotton slivers using different acid concentrations

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) particles are mostly prepared by acid hydrolysis of various agro sources. Acid hydrolysis is usually carried out with high concentration (64 wt%) of sulfuric acid. Here, an attempt has been made to optimize lower acid concentrations which can effectively produce MCC particles. In this work, different concentrations of sulfuric acid (20, 30, 35, 40, 47 and 64 wt%) have been used to prepare MCC particles, which have been characterized by XRD, particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation and thermogravimetric analysis. MCC prepared with 35 and 47% sulfuric acid (MCC 35 and MCC 47) had finest particle size and fibrils were produced in the range of 15–25 nm. MCC 20 showed wide particle size distribution, indicating low breakdown of the cellulose chains. The energy absorption behavior and mechanical properties of the MCC pellets were determined by nanoindentation test for the first time. MCC 35 pellets exhibited lowest modulus and hardness.