Analysis of Mechanical Properties in Thermoplastic Polyurethane-Microcrystalline Cellulose Composites

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant polymer found in nature. Owing to the lightweight mechanical properties and biodegradability of cellulose, polymer-cellulose composites have widely been investigated for various applications. In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is employed as a reinforcement agent for eco-friendly TPU-MCC composites to enhance the mechanical strength of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The size of the MCC was measured to be 88.4 mu m by particle size analyzer, and the hydrogen bonding between the urethane group of TPU and the hydroxyl group of MCC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. As evident from SEM analysis, MCC was evenly dispersed in TPU matrix at 0.5 wt% MCC loading, but we observed the aggregation at 1 wt% or higher MCC loading. From the universal testing machine analysis, we observed an increase in tensile strength by 12.7%, elongation by 36.7%, and toughness by 25.9% at a small amount of 0.5 wt% MCC content.