Bionanocomposites of grass

Abstract

Cellulose nano whiskers (CNW) are recently known for their tremendous applicability in development of eco-friendly material for various applications. Present attempt was aimed to extract the nano crystals of cellulose from grass of Korea and fabricate the composites with poly (lactic acid) in presence of compatibilizer after modification. Functional group variation, thermal behavior, surface morphology, and crystallinity were monitored by FT-IR, TGA, SEM, and XRD respectively. The water sensitivity measurements were also carried out for study of moisture resistance of composites. It was found that CNW have lower thermal stability than alkali treated long fiber whereas the crystalline nature of composites decreased significantly. The effect of modification of whiskers on the mechanical properties was also discussed in which increase in modulus was observed. © 2008 Trans Tech Publications.