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Lookup NU author(s): Professor David XieORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
Cellulose was modified by formic acid to prepare formyl cellulose (FC). The amount of formyl groups in FC was adjusted by controlling the reaction time, reaction temperature, and formic acid concentration. Then, FC was used to reinforce polylactic acid (PLA) films prepared by solution casting. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that long rod-like cellulose particles were broken into short rods after formylation and the introduction of FC made PLA surface rougher. The mechanical properties of PLA/FC films were improved by the inclusion of FC. Compared to pure PLA film, the PLA/FC composite film with 1 wt% FC (containing 15.79% formyl groups) showed a 48.59% increase in tensile strength and a 346% increase in Young's modulus. The addition of FC also resulted in better water barrier properties. The moisture absorption capacity and water vapor permeability were 40.56% and 51.43% lower than those of the pure-PLA film. The enhancement in properties for PLA/FC composites could be ascribed to the improved compatibility between PLA and cellulose with the introduction of hydrophobic formate groups. The PLA/FC composite films developed in this work could be highly potential for food packaging.
Author(s): Long S, Zhong L, Lin X, Chang X, Wu F, Wu R, Xie F
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Year: 2021
Volume: 172
Pages: 82-92
Print publication date: 01/03/2021
Online publication date: 09/01/2021
Acceptance date: 06/01/2021
Date deposited: 23/05/2023
ISSN (print): 0141-8130
ISSN (electronic): 1879-0003
Publisher: Elsevier
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.01.029
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.01.029
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