Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of Nanocomposites Based on Polyvinyl Alcohol and Cellulose Nanofiber from Aloe vera Rind

This work was devoted to reinforcement of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using cellulose nanofibers from Aloe vera rind. Nanofibers were isolated from Aloe vera rind in the form of an aqueous suspension using chemimechanical technique. Mechanical characterizations showed that incorporation of even small am...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nanomaterials 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.1-7
Main Authors: Asiri, Abdullah, Sain, Mohini, Cheng, Shuna, Ramezani Kakroodi, Adel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aloe
Biodegradable materials
Cellulose
Cellulose fibers
Fibers
Hydrogen bonds
Inclusions
Mechanical properties
Methods
Nanocomposites
Nanomaterials
Nanostructure
Polymers
Polyvinyl alcohols
Strength
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Summary:This work was devoted to reinforcement of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using cellulose nanofibers from Aloe vera rind. Nanofibers were isolated from Aloe vera rind in the form of an aqueous suspension using chemimechanical technique. Mechanical characterizations showed that incorporation of even small amounts of nanofibers (as low as 2% by weight) had significant effects on both the modulus and strength of PVA. Tensile modulus and strength of PVA increased, 32 and 63%, respectively, after adding 2% of cellulose nanofiber from Aloe vera rind. Samples with higher concentrations of nanofibers also showed improved mechanical properties due to a high level of interfacial adhesion and also dispersion of fibers. The results showed that inclusion of nanofibers decreased deformability of PVA significantly. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that, at elevated temperatures, improvement of mechanical properties due to the presence of nanofibers was even more noticeable. Addition of nanofibers resulted in increased thermal stability of PVA in thermogravimetric analysis due to the reduction in mobility of matrix molecules. Morphological observations showed no signs of agglomeration of fibers even in composites with high cellulose nanofiber contents. Inclusion of nanofibers was shown to increase the density of composites.
ISSN:1687-4110
1687-4129
DOI:10.1155/2014/903498