MORPHOLOGY AND BARRIER PROPERTIES OF SOLVENT CAST NANOCOMPOSITES OF POLYLACTIC ACID WITH CELLULOSE NANOWHISKERS DERIVED FROM ALPHA PURIFIED MICROFIBERS

摘要

PLA nanobiocomposite films containing cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) were obtained by solution casting. The cellulose nanowhiskers, prepared by acid hydrolysis of microfibers of highly alpha purified cellulose, consisted of nanofibers of typically 60 to 160 nm in length and 10 to 20 nm in thickness. The nanocomposites were prepared by incorporating 1, 2, 3 and 5 wt.-% of the CNW into the PLA matrix. The morphology and mass transport properties of the films were investigated by SEM, TEM, AFM, optical microscopy, OTR and WVTR.