Reactive Molding of Cellulose Whisker Nanocomposites

This section discusses the results of reactive molding of CW nanocomposites using FA as a polymerizable solvent medium to produce CW-PFA nanocomposites. Cellulose whiskers are not commercially available, and therefore, they were prepared by hydrolysis of MCC with sulfuric acid. The preparation of the CW was followed by their thorough morphology characterization, and finally, by the polymerization of FA to PFA in their presence. To characterize the polymerization behavior and to investigate how the presence of CW influences the polymerization of FA, FTIR spectra were collected before and during the resinification process. Finally, characterization of the thermal stability of the CW-PNC, as measured by TCA, is discussed and compared to the pure polymer. The results provide a useful qualitative measure of the CW dispersion in the cured PNC. 

At room temperature and up to 50 °C, the sulfonic acid groups at the CW surface are stable. However, increasing the temperature to the 60-100 °C range leads to the de-esterification of the sulfonic acid groups, detaching them from the CW surface, and allowing them to combine with H2O from the condensation polym- 

Reprinted with permission from Macromolecules 2008, 41(22). 8682-8687. Copyright 2008, American Chemical Society). 

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