Enhancement of mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane by inclusion of chemically modified microcrystalline cellulose

초록

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is biodegradable polymer with high crystallinity. Many researchers investigated polymer-MCC composites owing to lightweight yet high mechanical property of MCC. High mechanical property of MCC, however, originates from strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding of hydroxyl groups, which can lead to aggregation-induced reduction in interfacial areas and mechanical properties in polymer composites. To alleviate the MCC aggregation in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites, hydroxyl groups in MCC are substituted by methyl or hydroxypropyl groups. Although the modified MCC (m-MCC) has higher compatibility than that of pristine MCC due to the decrease in hydrogen bonding among MCCs, m-MCC has lower crystallinity and mechanical properties. In this study, we will investigate the chemical modification effects of MCC on TPU/m-MCC composites with a detailed study on structure-property relationships.