Transcrystallization of polypropylene at cellulose nanocrystal surfaces

There is a resurgence of interest in composite materials incorporating cellulose as fibrous reinforcement in semicrystalline melt-processed polymers. Potential natural cellulose sources range from flax and ramie fibres down to whiskers and nanocrystals isolated from bacteria. It has long been known that the crystallization of matrix polymers such as polypropylene may be preferentially nucleated by Cellulose I surfaces, leading to a “transcrystalline” layer around the fiber. In this note, a transcrystalline layer at the edge of films cast from cellulose nanocrystal suspensions is demonstrated, and preferential nucleation of polypropylene on nanocrystals deposited on a glass surface is also observed.