Craig Clemons, Srikanth Pilla

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.5, pp. 295-296, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634133

Abstract Cellulose nanomaterials (CNs) are at the convergence of nanotechnology and bio-sourced material trends and are currently of considerable interest. CNs are a new class of nano-scale, cellulose-based building blocks extracted from trees and plants as well as certain animals, bacteria, and algae. CNs are not a single material type but a family of materials with different characteristics, which largely result from differences in source and preparation methodology. Here we focus on plant- and tree-derived CNs. More >

Mercedes Echegaray¹, Gurutz Mondragon¹, Loli Martin², Alba González³, Cristina Peña-Rodriguez¹, Aitor Arbelaiz^1*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 206-214, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634106

Abstract Organic rodlike cellulose nanocrystals extracted from sisal fibers and inorganic montmorillonite based on silicate layers were employed to develop bionanocomposites based on gelatin matrix. Bionanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystal, montmorillonite and both nanoreinforcements combined were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Tensile properties and oxygen and water vapor gas permeability values were determined to study the influence of the addition of nanoreinforcements, different in nature, to gelatin matrix. Bionanocomposites with montmorillonite improved tensile strength but systems reinforced with nanocellulose showed lower tensile strength than neat gelatin ones. Oxygen gas permeability values decreased for all bionanocomposites,… More >