Robust cellulose nanofibrils reinforced poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene binary blend composites with pebble‐shaped structure using Pickering emulsion gel

Abstract

Both poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) have excellent transparency, but a blend of the two typically has low mechanical properties and poor transparency owing to phase separation. Herein, oil-in-water Pickering emulsion gel technology was combined with the hot pressing process to prepare cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) reinforced PMMA/PS binary blend composite film materials (CNFs/PMMA/PS). The CNFs/PMMA/PS composites with a pebble-shaped structure had a unique three-dimensional crosslinked network structure and endowed the composite film with better thermal stability, and excellent transparency and mechanical properties. Particularly, the derivative thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry results revealed that the compatibility between the PMMA and the PS phases in the composite film is remarkably improved. The optimal tensile strength (58 MPa) and maximum strain (4.2%) were obtained when the content of CNFs was 52%, which represented approximately 3-fold and 2-fold improvements, respectively, than those of the PMMA/PS blend films. Moreover, the C-CNFs/PMMA/PS composite films maintained an excellent light transmittance of approximately 80% in the wavelength range of 600 to 800 nm. The facile preparation method is proposed to achieve an excellent dispersion of unmodified CNFs in hydrophobic and binary polymer mixture, which constitutes a new approach for using CNFs to enhance the high performance of polymer materials.

Enhanced Physio‐Chemical Properties of PMMA/PS Polymer Blends by DC Glow Discharge Plasma Treated K2TI6O13for Electronic Applications

“…Generally, the broad peak observed at around 20°corresponds to the ordered chains of PS, [45] while the peak at 30.2°corresponds to PMMA. [46] Apart from these peaks, all other peaks were correlated with the crystalline nature of KTO. All observed peaks (2θ = 11.6°, 14.1°, 18.8°, 28.1°, 33.4°, 35°, 43°, 47°, 54.5°, 57.9°and 67°) matched with reported peaks of pure KTO.…”

Seawater-degradable, tough, and fully bio-derived nonwoven polyester fibres reinforced with mechanically defibrated cellulose nanofibres

“…28,29 It has previously been demonstrated that simple casting of Pickering emulsions does not result in sufficient mechanical strength because of the agglomeration of CNFs. 30–32 To the best of our knowledge, electrospinning of PHBH incorporated CNF has never been reported. This study focused on the electrospinning of Pickering emulsion to prepare CNF-incorporated fibres.…”

Polystyrene/polyolefin elastomer/halloysite nanotubes blend nanocomposites: Morphology‐thermal degradation kinetics relationship

“…[15][16][17] Among the various applications of PS are foam packaging, food packaging, cups, disposable plates, silverware, cassettes, and CDs. [18][19][20][21] However, when it comes to safety, the range of PS applications in some areas is limited because of its restricted thermal stability and high flammability. Therefore, some research groups have recently devoted their efforts to enhance the thermal stability of PS.…”

“…It can be easily blow molded, extruded, or injected, thus, these features make it a very valuable manufacturing polymer 15–17 . Among the various applications of PS are foam packaging, food packaging, cups, disposable plates, silverware, cassettes, and CDs 18–21 . However, when it comes to safety, the range of PS applications in some areas is limited because of its restricted thermal stability and high flammability.…”