Preparation of lignocellulose nanofibers from Korean white pine and its application to polyurethane nanocomposite

Abstract

The effect of steam and ozone pretreatments on fibrillation efficiency by wet disk-milling was investigated. Hemicellulose (40%) and lignin (42%) of Korean white pine were partially removed by steam and ozone pretreatments, respectively. With increasing wet disk-milling time, the diameter of fibers was significantly decreased and its size distribution became narrow. Especially, the average diameters of lignocellulose nanofibers after steam and ozone pretreatments were 19 nm and 12 nm, respectively. Thus-obtained lignocellulose nanofibers-reinforced polyurethane composite was prepared. Tensile strength and elastic modulus were drastically improved with increasing wet disk-milling time and lignocellulose nanofiber content. Nanocomposite reinforced by lignocellulose nanofibers after two pretreatments showed higher tensile properties, compared to that reinforced by lignocellulose nanofiber without pretreatment, at the similar wet disk-milling time.