Effect of cellulose compositions and fabrication methods on mechanical properties of polyurethane-cellulose composites

Tzu-Yi Yu; Yu-Kai Tseng; Ting-Han Lin; Tzu-Chia Wang; Yun-Hsiu Tseng; Yin-Hsuan Chang; Ming-Chung Wu; Wei-Fang Su

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119549

Effect of cellulose compositions and fabrication methods on mechanical properties of polyurethane-cellulose composites

Carbohydr Polym. 2022 Sep 1:291:119549. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119549. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Authors

Tzu-Yi Yu¹, Yu-Kai Tseng¹, Ting-Han Lin², Tzu-Chia Wang¹, Yun-Hsiu Tseng¹, Yin-Hsuan Chang², Ming-Chung Wu³, Wei-Fang Su⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
² Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
³ Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan; Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan. Electronic address: mingchungwu@cgu.edu.tw.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Molecular Imaging Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Department of Materials Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan. Electronic address: suwf@ntu.edu.tw.

PMID: 35698379
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119549

Abstract

A variety of cellulose-based polymer composite materials has been developed and show different impacts on the morphologies and properties of composites. Herein, we report the morphologies and properties of composites by blending polyurethane (PU) with either ethyl cellulose (EC) or cellulose nanofiber (CNF) through either drop-casting or electrospinning process. EC is homogenously mixed with PU without microphase separation and enhanced Young's modulus of composites from 0.04 to 6.94 MPa. The CNF is heterogeneously distributed in PU/CNF composites without interference on the PU microstructure and slightly increased modulus to 0.24 MPa. While the shearing force of the electrospinning process slightly affects the PU/EC composites, it drastically enhances PU crystallinity and Young's modulus to 54.95 MPa in PU/CNF composites. A model is established to summarize the effect of cellulose additives, compositions, and processes on PU/cellulose composites, providing a comprehensive understanding for designing future cellulose composites.

Keywords: Cellulose nanofiber; Composition; Ethyl cellulose; Microstructure-property relationship; Morphology; Nanocomposite; Polyurethane.

MeSH terms

Cellulose / chemistry
Elastic Modulus
Nanofibers* / chemistry
Polymers / chemistry
Polyurethanes* / chemistry

Substances

Polymers
Polyurethanes
Cellulose