A study in bio-nanocomposite based on polycaprolactone reinforced by cellulose nanocrystal

초록

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a semicrystalline thermoplastic polymer well-known as a nontoxic and biodegradable material. Due to this nature, PCL has been studied for drug delivery and a bioscaffold in tissue engineering. However, it has incomplete properties as the structural materials such as relatively low mechanical properties, low surface energy, and long degradation rates. Thus, this study aims to complement the previous shortcomings and present the possibility of a more advanced biomaterial by forming nanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), one of the abundant natural polymers with high specific modulus and strength, environmentally-friendliness, and nontoxic. Bulk materials with various concentrations of CNC in PCL matrix were fabricated, and a three-point bending test was conducted. The measured bending modulus was compared with the estimated values based on the rule of mixtures of the nanocomposite and surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. © 2022 SPIE

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