Thermomechanical analysis of isora nanofibril incorporated polyethylene nanocomposites

• Main Authors: Chan, C.H (Author), Jose, C. (Author), Joseph, B. (Author), Laroze, D. (Author), Mantia, F.P.L (Author), Maria, H.J (Author), Mathew, L. (Author), Morreale, M. (Author), Rouxel, D. (Author), Tharayil, A. (Author), Thomas, S. (Author), Volova, T. (Author), Winie, T. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: Aliphatic compounds; Aliphatic Compounds; Application range; Avrami model; Cellulose; Cellulose nanocrystals; Cellulose nanofibers; Composite fabrication; Crystallization; Crystallization kinetics; Fillers; Mechanical properties; Nanocomposites; Nanofibers; Physio-chemical properties; Plants; Polyethylene; Polyethylene nanocomposites; Polyethylenes; Polymer-cellulose nanocomposites; Thermo-mechanical analysis; Thermoplastics; Uniform dispersions; Viscoelastic properties; Viscoelasticity
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher; View in Scopus

 The research on cellulose fiber-reinforced nanocomposites has increased by an unprecedented magnitude over the past few years due to its wide application range and low production cost. However, the incompatibility between cellulose and most thermoplastics has raised significant challenges in composite fabrication. This paper addresses the behavior of plasma-modified polyethylene (PE) reinforced with cellulose nanofibers extracted from isora plants (i.e., isora nanofibrils (INFs)). The crystallization kinetics of PE–INF composites were explained using the Avrami model. The effect of cellulose nanofillers on tuning the physiochemical properties of the nanocomposite was also explored in this work. The increase in mechanical properties was due to the uniform dispersion of fillers in the PE. The investigation on viscoelastic properties confirmed good filler–matrix interactions, facilitating the stress transfer. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.