Electrospinning of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Reinforced Polyurethane Fibrous Mats.
Polymers (Basel)
; 12(5)2020 May 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32369944
ABSTRACT
We report the electrospinning of mechanically-tunable, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-reinforced polyurethanes (PUs). Using high-aspect ratio CNCs from tunicates, the stiffness and strength of electrospun PU/CNC mats are shown to generally increase. Furthermore, by tuning the electrospinning conditions, fibrous PU/CNC mats were created with either aligned or non-aligned fibers, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. PU/CNC mats having fibers aligned in the strain direction were stiffer and stronger compared to mats containing non-aligned fibers. Interestingly, fiber alignment was accompanied by an anisotropic orientation of the CNCs, as confirmed by wide-angle X-ray scattering, implying their alignment additionally benefits both stiffness and strength of fibrous PU/CNC nanocomposite mats. These findings suggest that CNC alignment could serve as an additional reinforcement mechanism in the design of stronger fibrous nanocomposite mats.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article