Functionalization of MWCNT and their application in properties development of green wood nanocomposite

Published Date
20 September 2016, Vol.149:332–339, doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.117

Title 
Functionalization of MWCNT and their application in properties development of green wood nanocomposite

• Author 

• Prasanta Baishya
• Tarun K. Maji ^,

• Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University, Assam 784028, India

Received 28 February 2016. Revised 6 April 2016. Accepted 26 April 2016. Available online 29 April 2016.

Highlights

• •
  A green route has been established for the preparation of natural polymer based nanocomposites.
• •
  Easily available, unused, low cost soft wood has been used with the natural polymer.
• •
  Water is used as a solvent in the preparation of wood composites.
• •
  The incorporation of MWCNT in the composites increases the mechanical, thermal and water resistance properties of the wood starch composites.

Abstract

Starch based wood nanocomposites (WSNC) were prepared successfully from starch and soft wood with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) as nano reinforcing agent through a completely green path. The most important part of this scheme was the use of water as the solvent. In this technique, starch was grafted with methylmethacrylate (MMA) and MWCNT was functionalised with hydroxyl groups (f-MWCNT). Dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) was used as a cross-linker to prepare the green material from methylmethacrylate grafted starch (MMA-g-starch), soft wood flour and functionalised MWCNT. The functionalization of MWCNT was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Raman analysis. Different properties of the WSNC were investigated by varying the concentration of f-MWCNT. The prepared nanocomposites exhibited outstanding thermal stability, mechanical properties and water resistance capacity compared to untreated wood composites. The flammability of the wood composites decreased up to 30% with just addition of 0.50 phr f-MWCNT.

Keywords

• Starch
• Soft wood
• Multiwall carbon nanotube
• Functionalisation
• Nanocomposites
• Thermal properties
• Mechanical properties

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Scheme 1.

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author.

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144861716304945