1. College of Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China;3. Key Laboratory of Cellulose and Lignocellulosics Chemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China;4. Ecole Francaise de Papeterie et des Industries Graphiques, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (EFPG‐INPG) BP65, 38402 Saint‐Martin d'Héres Cédex, France;5. Bioproducts and Bioprocesses National Program, Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X2, Canada;6. Department of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada
Abstract:
This is the first report on a thermoformable bionanocomposite based on a natural nanocrystal and formed by grafting long polymer chains onto the surface of microcrystalline cellulose. For the cellulose nanocrystal‐graft‐poly(ε‐caprolactone), the “graft from” strategy contributed to long and dense “plasticizing” PCL tails onto the CN surface as the key of thermoforming. The grafted PCL chains shielded the hydrophilic surface of CN and, hence, showed high water‐resistance. Moreover, a strategy for developing new bionanocomposite materials based on natural nanocrystals has been presented.
