Reinforcement of Natural Rubber: The Use of in Situ Regenerated Cellulose from Alkaline–Urea–Aqueous System

Cellulose, especially cellulose nanocrystal and cellulose nanofibril, has captured much attention as a bio-based candidate for the reinforcement of elastomers, but data in the use of regenerated cellulose (RC) from alkaline–urea–aqueous system as reinforcing agent remain scarce. In this contribution...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Macromolecules 2017-09, Vol.50 (18), p.7211-7221
Main Authors: Yu, Peng, He, Hui, Luo, Yuanfang, Jia, Demin, Dufresne, Alain
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical engineering
Chemical Sciences
Material chemistry
Polymers
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Summary:Cellulose, especially cellulose nanocrystal and cellulose nanofibril, has captured much attention as a bio-based candidate for the reinforcement of elastomers, but data in the use of regenerated cellulose (RC) from alkaline–urea–aqueous system as reinforcing agent remain scarce. In this contribution, fully bio-based hybrids were produced by flocculating a mixture of natural rubber (NR) latex and cellulose alkaline–urea–aqueous solution, during which NR latex particles were demulsificated to form the polymeric matrix while the porous honeycomb-like RC phase was also generated due to the coagulant-induced gelation, indicating that both the matrix and the filler were synchronously in situ formed by the bottom-up route. RC possesses a unique honeycomb-like structure which apparently could induce extensive physical entanglements, making the filler tightly interlocked with the matrix and therefore favoring the stress transfer. Predictably, RC, without any chemical modification, could endow NR with a pronounced reinforcement. Overall, this work provides (i) a unique inspiration for reinforcing NR with honeycomb-like cellulose and (ii) a better understanding of how could RC truly reinforce NR composites.
ISSN:0024-9297
1520-5835
DOI:10.1021/acs.macromol.7b01663