ELECTROSPUN BIO-NANOCOMPOSITE WEBS BY CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTAL (CNC)-LOADED POLYLACTIDE AND ITS BLENDS

In this study, effects of polylactide (PLA) melt flow rate, and dichloromethane (DCM)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent blend ratio on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) dispersion quality in PLA/CNC bio-nanocomposites, prepared via solution casting, were studied. Besides, the electrospinning behaviour of CNC-loaded PLAs and its blends with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) was explored. The rheological analysis confirmed good CNC dispersion ability in PLAs with high melt flow rate specifically in solvents comprising DMSO. Besides, it was observed that CNC loading directly affected the morphological structure of the obtained nanofibrous webs. Thermal analysis indicated that CNCs acted as a nucleation agent and promoting the crystallization process by lowering cold crystallization temperatures and increasing the degree of crystallinity. The outcomes provide a groundwork for future studies on the fabrication of bio-nanocomposite webs from PLA/PBAT blends for a variety of applications.