Sunflower oil-based MCC surface modification to achieve improved thermomechanical properties of a polypropylene composite

A biobased approach was taken to endow microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with surface hydrophobicity using sunflower oil biodiesel (sunflower oil fatty acid ethyl esters, SFEEs) and thereby improve the compatibility with a hydrophobic polypropylene (PP) matrix. This environmentally friendly green che...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellulose (London) 2020-05, Vol.27 (8), p.4355-4371
Main Authors: Rathnayake, W. S. M., Karunanayake, L., Samarasekara, A. M. P. B., Amarasinghe, D. A. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiesel fuels
Bioorganic Chemistry
Ceramics
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Composites
Crystal structure
Crystalline cellulose
Esters
Ethyl esters
Fatty acids
Fiber reinforcement
Glass
Hydrophobicity
Natural Materials
Organic Chemistry
Original Research
Physical Chemistry
Polymer Sciences
Polypropylene
Properties (attributes)
Sunflower oil
Sunflowers
Sustainable Development
Thermal stability
Thermomechanical properties
Vegetable oils
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Summary:A biobased approach was taken to endow microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with surface hydrophobicity using sunflower oil biodiesel (sunflower oil fatty acid ethyl esters, SFEEs) and thereby improve the compatibility with a hydrophobic polypropylene (PP) matrix. This environmentally friendly green chemistry approach introduces a monomolecular long-chain fatty acid layer on the MCC surface, making the surface hydrophobic. However, as per the X-ray Diffraction results, this surface modification process had no effect on the crystal structure of MCC. The inclusion of surface-modified MCC in the PP matrix significantly improves the thermomechanical properties of the composite. The tensile, impact and hardness properties of the surface-treated fiber reinforcements were improved by 11%, 71%, and 23%, respectively, compared to those of nonreinforced PP. The thermal stability also was improved considerably by the incorporation of modified MCC into PP. Graphic abstract
ISSN:0969-0239
1572-882X
DOI:10.1007/s10570-020-03053-5