Comparative study of the effects of cellulose nanowhiskers and microcrystalline cellulose addition as reinforcement in flexible films based on biopolymer blends

Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare the effects of the addition of cellulose nanowhiskers and microcrystalline cellulose on properties of flexible films based on biodegradable polymer blends. Composite films containing 1 wt. % of microcrystalline cellulose and 1-2 wt. % of cellulose nanowhiskers were prepared by melt extrusion, using a twin screw extruder machine and blown extrusion process. The effects of the addition of cellulose nanowhiskers and microcrystalline cellulose on mechanical and thermal properties of biocomposite films were investigated by tensile tests, XRD, TG, DSC and FE-SEM analysis and the correlation between properties was discussed.