Cellulose-Based Bio- and Nanocomposites: A Review

Cellulose macro- and nanofibers have gained increasing attention due to the high strength and stiffness, biodegradability and renewability, and their production and application in development of composites. Application of cellulose nanofibers for the development of composites is a relatively new research area. Cellulose macro- and nanofibers can be used as reinforcement in composite materials because of enhanced mechanical, thermal, and biodegradation properties of composites. Cellulose fibers are hydrophilic in nature, so it becomes necessary to increase their surface roughness for the development of composites with enhanced properties. In the present paper, we have reviewed the surface modification of cellulose fibers by various methods. Processing methods, properties, and various applications of nanocellulose and cellulosic composites are also discussed in this paper

Microwave Enhanced Synthesis of Flax-g-poly(MMA) for Use in Phenolic Composites as Reinforcement

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto flax fiber under the influence of microwave radiations (MWR) was carried out. 24.64% grafting was found at 210W microwave power under optimum reaction conditions. The graft copolymers were characterized with FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Graft copolymers thus prepared were used in the preparation of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) composites. Modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and stress at the limit of proportionality (SP) of composites were measured and it has been found that composites reinforced with Flax-g-poly(MMA) showed better mechanical properties in comparison to composites reinforced with raw flax

Synthesis, Characterization and Mechanical Evaluation of the Phenol-Formaldehyde Composites

Phenol: formaldehyde ratio was varied in the synthesis of phenol- formaldehyde resin and used to prepare the composites. These composites were then evaluated for their mechanical strength on the basis of tensile strength, compressive strength and wear resistance. Composite with better strength was characterized by IR, SEM, XRD, TGA/DTA and further studies were carried out for its physico-chemical and mechanical properties like viscosity, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and stress at the limit of proportionality (SP) etc

Synthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of the Transformations in Hibiscus sabdariffa-graft-poly(butyl acrylate)

Different reaction parameters for the graft copolymerization of butyl acrylate onto Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber were optimized. Graft copolymers thus obtained were subjected to characterization using XRD, TGA, DTA, SEM and FTIR techniques and were evaluated for physio-chemical changes in the behavior. The percentage crystallinity and crystallinity index were found to decrease with increase in grafting while there was reduction in moisture absorption and increase in chemical, thermal resistance of the graft copolymers

Single Step In Situ Synthesis and Optical Properties of Polyaniline/ZnO Nanocomposites

Polyaniline/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of different weight percentages of ZnO nanostructures. The steric stabilizer added to prevent the agglomeration of nanostructures in the polymer matrix was found to affect the final properties of the nanocomposite. ZnO nanostructures of various morphologies and sizes were prepared in the absence and presence of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) surfactant under different reaction conditions like in the presence of microwave radiation (microwave oven), under pressure (autoclave), under vacuum (vacuum oven), and at room temperature (ambient condition). The conductivity of these synthesized nanocomposites was evaluated using two-probe method and the effect of concentration of ZnO nanostructures on conductivity was observed. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize nanocomposites. The optical energy band gap of the nanocomposites was calculated from absorption spectra and ranged between 1.5 and 3.21 eV. The reported values depicted the blue shift in nanocomposites as compared to the band gap energies of synthesized ZnO nanostructures. The present work focuses on the one-step synthesis and potential use of PANI/ZnO nanocomposite in molecular electronics as well as in optical devices