sc0c00909_si_001.pdf (948.57 kB)
Sustainable, High-Barrier Polyaleuritate/Nanocellulose Biocomposites
journal contribution
posted on 2020-07-16, 14:09 authored by Giacomo Tedeschi, Susana Guzman-Puyol, Luca Ceseracciu, José Jesús Benitez, Pietro Cataldi, Mark Bissett, Antonio Heredia, Athanassia Athanassiou, José A. Heredia-GuerreroFree-standing
and flexible biocomposite films formed by a polyaleuritate
matrix and nanocellulose fillers (i.e., cellulose
nanofibrils) have been fabricated by a sustainable process. For this,
9,10,16-trihydroxyhexadecanoic (aleuritic) acid from shellac and nanocellulose
were blended at different ratios in water through a sonication process.
Polymerization of the polyhydroxylated fatty acid into polyaleuritate
was induced by a solvent-free, melting polycondensation reaction in
the oven. These biocomposites were characterized to evaluate their
chemical (by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy) and physical (e.g., density, thermal
stability, rigidity, gas permeability, surface energy, etc.) properties.
The compatibility between the polyester matrix and the polysaccharide
fillers was excellent due to the interaction by H bonds of the polar
groups of both components. The addition of nanocellulose increased
all determined mechanical parameters as well as the wettability and
the barrier properties, while the thermal stability and the water
uptake were determined by the polyaleuritate matrix. The physical
properties of these biocomposites were compared to those of petroleum-based
plastics and bio-based polymers, indicating that the developed materials
can represent a sustainable alternative for different applications
such as packaging.