Surface-modified and dried microfibrillated cellulose reinforced thermoplastic biocomposites
AssigneesUT-Battelle, LLC, FiberLean Technologies Limited
InventorsSoydan Ozcan, Kai Li, Halil Tekinalp, Xianhui Zhao, Jon Phipps, Sean Ireland
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Abstract
A process for producing dried, vinyl carboxylate surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose having improved mechanical properties and a microfibril structure and a process for producing a vinyl carboxylate, surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose-thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin composite material having improved mechanical strength properties utilizing dried, vinyl carboxylate surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose.
Claims24
A process for producing a vinyl-carboxylate, surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose-thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin biocomposite material having improved mechanical strength properties, the method comprising the following steps:
- (a) preparing a dried, vinyl-carboxylate, surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose directly from pulp that is a water suspension of cellulose fibers by water-based surface modification of the suspended microfibrillated cellulose fibers including transesterification in the aqueous phase with water as the only solvent, and subsequent drying of the surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose;
- (b) heating and mixing a thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin;
- (c) combining the dried vinyl-carboxylate, surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose with the heated thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin in a mixing apparatus;
- and
- (d) recovering the vinyl-carboxylate, surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose-thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin biocomposite;
- wherein the vinyl-carboxylate, surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin biocomposite demonstrates improved tensile strength and Young's modulus compared to neat thermoplastic polyester or thermoplastic polyolefin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.