Characterizations of lyocell and its blended nanocomposite film: Morphology and mechanical property

Abstract

The mechanical properties and morphologies of lyocell and its blend are compared. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used as a filler in blends with lyocell produced through solution blending. The variations of their properties with polymer matrix filler content are discussed. The ultimate tensile strength of the PVA/lyocell blend is highest for a blend lyocell content of 30 wt%, and decreases as the lyocell content is increased up to 40 wt%. The variations in the initial moduli of the blends with filler content are similar. Lyocell and its blended hybrid films were prepared by the solution intercalation method, using dodecyltriphenylphosphonium-mica (C12PPh-Mica) as the organoclay. The variations of the mechanical tensile properties of the hybrids with the organoclay content were examined. These properties were found to be optimal for an organoclay content of up to 5 wt%. However, the mechanical tensile properties of the PVA/Lyocell (w/w = 30/70) blended hybrid films were found to decrease linearly with increases in organoclay content from 1 to 5 wt%.