A facile approach to obtaining cellulose nanofiber-reinforced polystyrene with greatly improved mechanical performance compared to unreinforced polystyrene is presented. Cellulose nanofibers were obtained by mechanical fibrillation of partially delignified wood (MFLC) and compared to nanofibers obtained from bleached pulp. Residual hemicellulose and lignin imparted amphiphilic surface chemical character to MFLC, which enabled the stabilization of emulsions of styrene in water. Upon suspension polymerization of styrene from the emulsion, polystyrene microspheres coated in MFLC were obtained. When processed into polymer sheets by hot-pressing, improved bending strength and superior impact toughness was observed for the polystyrene-MFLC composite compared to the un-reinforced polystyrene.
Keywords: cellulose; lignin; nanocomposite; polystyrene; suspension polymerization.