Influence of Cellulose Nanocrystals on Polyvinyl(pyrrolidone) Graphite Composites

Abstract

In this work, composites with poly vinyl(pyrrolidone), PVP, and graphite reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals, CNCs, were made. The CNCs had a nanometric size, with a hydrodynamic radius of 52 nm. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of the characteristic functional groups of cellulose nanocrystals in the spectrum of pure CNCs. The PVP-graphite-CNC composites showed the characteristic peaks of PVP and graphite on the FTIR spectra, without the characteristic peaks of CNCs, which is explained by the incorporation of a small quantity of CNCs into the composites. However, the presence of CNCs increased the storage modulus of the composites by 70%, compared to the blank sample. The composites showed a glass transition temperature, attributed to PVP, and a tendency to increase with increasing CNC content; the highest CNC content caused a complex behaviour of glass transition temperature. To conclude, the addition of CNCs enhanced the mechanical properties of the composites.