Sustainable nanocomposite materials from cellulosic plastics

Injection molded nanocomposites were successfully fabricated from triethyl citrate (TEC) plasticized cellulose acetate (CA) and organically modified clay. Maleic anhydride grafted cellulose acetate butyrate (MA-g-CAB) was used as a compatibilizer. The effect of compatibilizer contents on the performance of these nanocomposites were evaluated. The mechanical properties of these nanocomposites were correlated with the XRD and TEM observations. Cellulosic plastic-based nanocomposites with 3 wt.% compatibilizer showed better exfoliated structure than the counterpart having 0 or 7.5 wt.% compatibilizer contents. The use of compatibizer improved the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and thermal stability of these nanocomposites as compared to the counterpart nanocomposite in absence of the said specific compatibilizer.