Synergistic effect of cellulose nanocrystals/graphene oxide nanosheets as functional hybrid nanofiller for enhancing properties of PVA nanocomposites

Nassima El Miri (1, 2) , Mounir El Achaby (3) , Aziz Fihri (2) , Mohamed Larzek (3) , Mohamed Zahouily (1) , Karima Abdelouahdi (4) , Abdellatif Barakat (5) , Abderrahim Solhy (3)

1 FSTM - Faculte des sciences et Techniques Mohammedia [Casablanca]
2 INANOTECH
3 Center for Advanced Materials (CAM)
4 Faculté des Sciences et Techniques
5 UMR IATE - Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Émergentes

Novel functional hybrid nanofillers composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and graphene oxide nanosheets (GON), at different weight ratios (2:1; 1:1 and 1:2), were successfully prepared and characterized, and their synergistic effect in enhancing the properties of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites was investigated. Due to the synergistic reinforcement, it was found that the Young's modulus, tensile strength and toughness of the PVA nanocomposite containing 5 wt% hybrid nanofiller (1:2) were significantly improved by 320%, 124% and 159%, respectively; and the elongation at break basically remained compared to the neat PVA matrix. In addition, the glass and melting temperatures as well as the moisture sorption of nanocomposites were also enhanced. This synergistic effect improved the dispersion homogeneity by avoiding the agglomeration phenomenon of nanofillers within the polymer matrix, resulting in nanocomposites with largely enhanced properties compared to those prepared from single nanofiller (CNC or GON). The preparation of these hybrid nanofillers and their incorporation into a polymer provided a novel method for the development of novel multifunctional nanocomposites based on the combination of existing nanomaterials.

Mots clés: Cellulose nanocrystals; Graphene oxide; Hybrid nanofiller; Nanocomposite; Synergistic reinforcement; Mechanical properties

Domaines: Génie des procédés

Nassima El Miri, Mounir El Achaby, Aziz Fihri, Mohamed Larzek, Mohamed Zahouily, et al.. Synergistic effect of cellulose nanocrystals/graphene oxide nanosheets as functional hybrid nanofiller for enhancing properties of PVA nanocomposites. Carbohydrate Polymers, 2016, 137, pp.239-248. ⟨10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.10.072⟩. ⟨hal-01269355⟩