Abstract:
Structural, thermal, physical and mechanical
properties of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) combined with
its biodegradability make an excellent platform for the
aptness of MCC in reinforcing polymeric composites along
with a commercial success in the context of green chemistry.
Main drawback of above union is the incompatibility of
hydrophilic MCC and hydrophobic polymers which
ultimately damp the desired property improvements. With a
prospective and pioneering a green approach, this study
introduces a novel method to modify the surface of MCC to
introduce surface hydrophobicity. State of the treatment was
analyzed with acyl percentage, FTIR analysis, wettability test,
SEM images and TGA thermographs. Results uphold the
success of the transesterification reaction of sunflower oil
ethyl esters (SFEEs) with MCC showing higher attraction to
nonpolar dichloromethane with an improved thermal
stability. FTIR showed the successfully grafted SFEEs onto
MCC surface. Modified MCC can be used in the fabrication
of polymeric substances in the process of improving its
mechanical properties simultaneously under green chemistrybased
approach.
Citation:
W. S. M. Rathnayake, L. Karunanayake, A. M. P. B. Samarasekara and D. A. S. Amarasinghe, "Chemical modification of Microcrystalline Cellulose using Sunflower oil," 2020 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), 2020, pp. 215-219, doi: 10.1109/MERCon50084.2020.9185332.