Freeze dried cellulose nanocrystal reinforced unsaturated polyester composites: challenges and potential

DiLoreto, Edward; Haque, Ejaz; Berman, Arielle; Moon, Robert J.; Kalaitzidou, Kyriaki

doi:10.1007/s10570-019-02377-1

Original Research
Published: 16 March 2019

Freeze dried cellulose nanocrystal reinforced unsaturated polyester composites: challenges and potential

Edward DiLoreto ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3921-7982¹,
Ejaz Haque¹,
Arielle Berman²,
Robert J. Moon^1,3 &
Kyriaki Kalaitzidou^1,2

Cellulose volume 26, pages 4391–4403 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Functionalized cellulose particles were studied as a potential reinforcement for an unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) system, a common material for automotive applications of fiber reinforced plastics. A preliminary process for incorporating freeze-dried cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) powder into UPR was developed. Three surface chemistries were explored including sulfonated, methyl(triphenyl) phosphonium (PhCNC), and maleic acid (MCNC). By optical microscopy the filler was seen to be agglomerated within the matrix. Fractography showed that these agglomerates acted as stress concentration points resulting in decreased tensile and flexural strength. With the addition of 1 wt% CNCs, the flexural and tensile modulus increased by up to 53% and 22%, respectively. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that the PhCNC- and MCNC-UPR samples had a 61% and 66% higher glassy modulus than neat UPR, respectively. Despite the lack of nano-scale dispersion of CNC in UPR, these results reflect potential in the use of functionalized CNC agglomerates as an additive in UPR systems to produce composites with high moduli and good thermo-mechanical stability.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by P³ Nano and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The authors would like to thank Prof. Douglas M. Fox from the American University and Prof. J.Y. Zhu from Forest Products Laboratory for providing the functionalized CNC studied in this work, as well as Reichhold for providing the polyester resin. The authors would also like to thank their colleagues at Georgia Tech, namely Prof. Jon Colton for providing mechanical testing equipment, Prof. Satish Kumar for providing the optical microscope, the staff of the Materials Characterization Facility, and Mr Nicholas Billeter and Mr Joshua Oswald for assisting with tensile and flexural measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
Edward DiLoreto, Ejaz Haque, Robert J. Moon & Kyriaki Kalaitzidou
Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Atlanta, USA
Arielle Berman & Kyriaki Kalaitzidou
The Forest Products Laboratory, U.S. Forest Service, Madison, USA
Robert J. Moon

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Edward DiLoreto
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Ejaz Haque
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Arielle Berman
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Robert J. Moon
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Kyriaki Kalaitzidou
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DiLoreto, E., Haque, E., Berman, A. et al. Freeze dried cellulose nanocrystal reinforced unsaturated polyester composites: challenges and potential. Cellulose 26, 4391–4403 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-019-02377-1

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Received: 20 December 2018
Accepted: 12 March 2019
Published: 16 March 2019
Issue Date: 15 May 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-019-02377-1

Keywords

Unsaturated polyester
Cellulose nanocrystals
Functionalized nanoparticles