Morphological Analysis of Micro-fibrillated Cellulose from Different Raw Materials for Fiber Plastic Composites

摘要

Polymer nanocomposites have attracted great interest during current years. Cellulose micro-fibrils may be function as biodegradable Nano fibrils in high performance composites. The production of Nano-scale cellulose ?bers and their application in composite materials has gained increasing attention due to their high strength and stiffness combined with low weight, biodegradability and renewability. Adding small amounts of cellulose-based fillers to thermoplastic matrix polymers usually enhances the mechanical properties. However, the development of fully biodegradable nanocomposites is still a challenging area. Many researchers investigated production of micro cellulose microfibers through various methods. The most important and widely used methods for cellulose Nano fibers isolation are Chemical method (CM), Mechanical methods, Physical methods, Using microwave, Biological and High-pressure homogenizer. CM process is easier than milling process (MM) by which material is reduced from a large size to a smaller size ‘top-down’. In this work, a motor driven mechanical rotary microtome sheering device was used to produce micro?brillated cellulose (MFC) particles from different types of cotton fibers and cotton waste, as well as flax. The morphological properties of the cellulose particles were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy. Final length distribution of cellulose particles was determined. It was found that the maximum number of fibers was observed in the range from 0.5 to 2 microns with average aspect ratio 1.6. Depending on the source of the fibers, the particles with a diameter of 20 – 500 nm were observed.