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Unidirectional All-Cellulose Composites from Flax via Controlled Impregnation with Ionic Liquid
Feng Chen1, Daisuke Sawada1, Michael Hummel1
1Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland.
Polymers
|May 2, 2020
Summary
Mechanically strong, biodegradable all-cellulose composites were created using flax fibers and an ionic liquid. Optimal processing balances fiber dissolution to fuse fibers while preserving their core strength, yielding high performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
Background:
- All-cellulose composites offer a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.
- Developing strong, fully bio-based, and biodegradable materials is a key environmental goal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To optimize the preparation of unidirectional flax-based all-cellulose composites.
- To investigate the relationship between flax dissolution kinetics and composite properties.
Main Methods:
- Room-temperature impregnation of flax fibers with 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate ionic liquid.
- Optical microscopy to study flax dissolution kinetics.
- Analysis of composite morphology, crystallinity, density, cellulose II content, and tensile properties.
Main Results:
- Flax dissolution must be controlled: sufficient to fuse fibers and increase density, but not so much as to degrade crystallinity.
- Optimal conditions yielded a composite with 43% crystallinity and 20 vol% cellulose II.
- Achieved highest Young's modulus (10.1 GPa) and strength (151.3 MPa).
Conclusions:
- Controlled dissolution and coagulation are crucial for high-performance all-cellulose composites.
- These composites represent a promising direction for sustainable materials development.
