Preparation and characterization of bionanocomposite fiber based on cellulose and nano-SiO2 using ionic liquid

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)/nano-SiO2 composite fibers were processed from solutions in 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AMIMCl) by the method of dry-jet wet spinning. The oscillatory shear measurements demonstrated that the gel network formed above 10 wt% nano-SiO2 and the complex viscosity increased with increasing nano-SiO2. Remarkably, the shear viscosity of the nanofluids was even lower than solutions without nano-SiO2 under high shear rates. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that well-dispersed particles exhibit strong interfacial interactions with cellulose matrix. Measurements on wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) indicated that the regenerated cellulose and nanocomposite fibers were the typical cellulose II crystalline form, which was different from the native cellulose with the polymorph of Type I. The tensile strength of the nanocomposite fibers was larger than that of pure cellulose fiber and showed a tendency to increase and then decrease with increasing nano-SiO2. Furthermore, the nanocomposite fibers exhibited improved thermal stability. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.