PVB/sepiolite nanocomposites as reinforcement agents for paper

Abstract

In order to improve the mechanical properties of paper, 1, 3 and 5 wt. % of sepiolite were dispersed in a poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) matrix and coated onto the surface of schrenz (110 g m -2 ). Deagglomerated sepiolite nanofibers in the PVB matrix on the paper surface were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The glass transition temperature of schrenz with PVB/sepiolite coatings was not changed with increasing content of sepiolite. Two different methods were used to evaluate the mechanical properties of the paper sample reinforced with PVB/sepiolite nanocomposites: tensile testing and nanoindentation. The values of breaking force and tensile energy absorption of the reinforced paper samples obtained by tensile testing were increased by up 10 %. The values of the reduced elastic modulus and hardness obtained by nanoindentation were increased by up to 78 %. The best improvement of the mechanical properties was shown by the paper sample coated with PVB/3 wt. % sepiolite nanocomposite.

The sintering kinetics of shellfish porcelain reinforced by sepiolite nanofibres

“…Owing to its particular structure with tunnels, it has the properties of adsorption, rheology and catalysis. And thus, it finds applications in a variety of industries including cosmetics, ceramics, detergents, paper and paint [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Sepiolite mostly appears in the form of nanofibre or fibre bundle when observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which gives it a good foundation to become a toughening material [19][20][21].…”

Enhanced nitrates-polluted water remediation by polyurethane/sepiolite cellular nanocomposites

“…For instance, sepiolite has often been used as fillers of plastics and polymeric foams. On the one hand, they allow improving various properties, such as mechanical (Janković-Častvan et al, 2016) and thermal properties (Tabatabaei-Yazdi and Mehdipour-Ataei, 2015). On the other hand, they can modify the crystalline structure of polymers (Mejía et al, 2013), acting as nucleants (Cobas et al, 2014), or increase the nucleation of cells during foaming processes (Pardo-Alonso et al, 2012).…”