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Updated: Jan 5, 2026
Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation
Published on: June 17, 2014
High performance PVA/lignin nanocomposite films with excellent water vapor barrier and UV-shielding properties
Xiao Zhang1, Weifeng Liu1, Wenqiang Liu1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Green Fine Chemicals, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China.
Abstract:
High performance poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/lignin nanomicelle (LNM) nanocomposite films with good vapor barrier and advanced UV-shielding properties were fabricated in this study. LNM was homogeneously distributed in the PVA matrix and strong robust hydrogen bonds were successfully constructed between LNM and PVA matrix. With only 5 wt% loading of LNM into the PVA/LNM nanocomposite, the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was declined by about 189% compared with pure PVA. Moreover, after introducing lignin, the PVA nanocomposite films showed improved tensile strength and toughness, excellent UV-blocking and good thermal stability. As both lignin and PVA are biodegradable, this study shows a meaningful design approach for biodegradable functional nanocomposite films using cheap and easily available biomass and biodegradable raw materials.
