Esterification of Nanofibrillated Cellulose using Lauroyl Chloride and its Composite Films with Polybutylene Succinate
Jeong-Ki Kim,
Rajkumar Bandi,
Ramakrishna Dadigala,
Le Van Hai,
Song-Yi Han,
Gu-Joong Kwon,
Seung-Woo Cho,
Seo-Young Ma,
Seung-Hwan Lee
Affiliations
Jeong-Ki Kim
Department of Forest Biomaterials Engineering, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Rajkumar Bandi
Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Ramakrishna Dadigala
Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Le Van Hai
Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Song-Yi Han
Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Gu-Joong Kwon
Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea; Kangwon Institute of Inclusion Technology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Seung-Woo Cho
Department of Forest Biomaterials Engineering, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Seo-Young Ma
Department of Forest Biomaterials Engineering, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Seung-Hwan Lee
Department of Forest Biomaterials Engineering, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea; Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea; Kangwon Institute of Inclusion Technology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
Esterified nanofibrillated cellulose (eNFC) with varying degrees of substitution was prepared using fatty acid chloride. Furthermore, the effect of esterification on properties of pure NFC and its composites with polybutylene succinate (PBS) was investigated. Lauroyl chloride (LC) with 12 carbon atoms was used for esterification. An increase in the amount of LC increased the degree of substitution (DS), which significantly decreased the water contact angle and improved the hydrophobicity of NFC. The addition of fatty acid to NFCs lowered their crystallinity. However, the fatty acid increased the hydrophobicity of NFCs, thereby improving their dispersibility in nonpolar solvents. Compared with pure NFCs, eNFC exhibited enhanced compatibility with PBS, and the addition of eNFC with an appropriate DS increased the tensile strength and elastic modulus of PBS. These findings suggest the potential of NFC esterification for improving the performance of NFC-based composite materials.
