Preparation and Characterization of Poly(lactic acid) Nanocomposites Reinforced with Lignin-containing Cellulose Nanofibrils

Abstract

A chemo-mechanical method was used to prepare lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils(L-CNF) from unbleached woodpulps dispersed uniformly in an organic solvent. L-CNF/PLA composites were obtained by solvent casting method. The effects of L-CNF concentration on the composite performances were characterized by tensile test machine, contact angle machine, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The tensile test results indicated that the tensile strength and elongation-at-break increased by 50.6% and 31.8% compared with pure PLA. The contact angle of PLA composites decreased from $79.3^{\circ}$ to $68.9^{\circ}$. The FTIR analysis successfully showed that L-CNF had formed intermolecular hydrogen bonding with PLA matrix.