Production of Nylon-6/Cellulose Nanocrystal Composite Films Using Solvent Dissolution

• Published in: Sugar tech : an international journal of sugar crops & related industries 2020-04, Vol.22 (2), p.328-339
• Main Authors: Sucharitpong, Thamonwan, Lam, Nga Tien, Sukyai, Prakit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Atomic force microscopy; Bagasse; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cellulose; Diffraction; Dissolution; Fourier analysis; Fourier transforms; Infrared analysis; Life Sciences; Mechanical analysis; Mechanical properties; Modulus of elasticity; Nanocrystals; Nylon; Opacity; Polymer matrix composites; Polymers; Research Article; Solvents; Sugarcane; Thermal properties; Thermodynamic properties; X-ray diffraction; X-rays
• ISSN: 0972-1525; 0974-0740; 0972-1525
• DOI: 10.1007/s12355-019-00775-0

Nylon-6 (N6) composites were incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extracted from sugarcane bagasse via solvent dissolution. The effect of the CNC content was estimated at 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt%. Atomic force microscopy images showed that the diameter and length of the obtained CNCs were 52.4 ± 14.8 and 400.38 ± 104.8 nm, respectively. Fourier transform infrared analysis illustrated the increasing dominant peak intensity of cellulose in the composites with a higher CNC content. X-ray diffraction and mechanical analysis determined the optimum improvement in crystallinity index and Young’s modulus in loading 1 wt% of CNCs, with values of 64.37 ± 0.12% and 675.27 MPa, respectively. The highest opacity value of the N6/CNC composites was 8.592 ± 0.062 for N6/CNC-7%. Moreover, CNCs decreased the thermal property of the N6 composites. These results suggested that CNCs have great potential to reinforce N6 polymers.