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Polymer Nanofibers Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

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Handbook of Polymer Nanocomposites. Processing, Performance and Application

Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have been used as effective reinforcing nanofillers for a variety of polymer nanofibers, taking advantage of their high-modulus and high-strength mechanical properties. Continuous polymer nanofibers incorporated with various contents of CNCs were fabricated using a simple and versatile electrospinning technique driven by a high-voltage electric field. Prior to the electrospinning process, CNCs were dispersed with polymers in solutions. Effects of the addition of CNCs on solution properties were investigated and correlated with the morphology and diameter of the nanofibers. Polymer nanocomposite fibers, usually several hundreds of nanometers in diameter, were produced as either randomly oriented porous mats or uniaxially aligned mats. CNCs were highly aligned along the fiber long axis. Thermal analysis suggested that the incorporation of CNCs influences thermal behaviors of polymer nanofibers, such as glass transition temperatures and melting enthalpies. Increases in tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elastic modulus have been demonstrated from mechanical studies of the nanocomposite fibers containing CNCs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Macromolecular Science and Technology Branch, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD, 21005, USA

    Hong Dong

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  1. Hong Dong
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Correspondence to Hong Dong .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, India

    Jitendra K. Pandey

  2. Advanced Materials Division, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan

    Hitoshi Takagi

  3. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan

    Antonio Norio Nakagaito

  4. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South Korea)

    Hyun-Joong Kim

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Dong, H. (2015). Polymer Nanofibers Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals. In: Pandey, J., Takagi, H., Nakagaito, A., Kim, HJ. (eds) Handbook of Polymer Nanocomposites. Processing, Performance and Application. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45232-1_66

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45232-1_66

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45231-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45232-1

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