http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/NR/C2NR31726E
Nanoscale, 2012, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31726E
Christian Aulin , German Salazar-Alvarez and Tom Lindström
Abstract
A novel, technically benign procedure to combine vermiculite nanoplatelets with nanocellulose fibre dispersions into functional biohybrid films is presented. Nanocellulose fibres of 20 nm diameters and several µm in length are mixed with high aspect ratio exfoliated vermiculite nanoplatelets through high-pressure homogenization. The resulting hybrid films obtained after solvent evaporation are stiff (tensile modulus of 17.3 GPa), strong (strength up to 257 MPa), and transparent. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the hybrid films consist of stratified nacre-like layers with a homogenous distribution of nanoplatelets within the nanocellulose matrix. The oxygen barrier properties of the biohybrid films outperform commercial packaging materials and pure nanocellulose films showing an oxygen permeability of 0.07 cm3·μm/m2·day·kPa at 50 % relative humidity. The oxygen permeability of the hybrid films can be tuned by adjusting the composition of the films. Furthermore, the water vapor barrier properties of the biohybrid films were also significantly improved by the addition of nanoclay. The unique combination of excellent oxygen barrier behavior and optical transparency suggest the potential of this biohybrid materials as an alternative in flexible packaging of oxygen sensitive devices like thin-film transistors or organic light-emitting diode displays, gas storage applications and as barrier coatings/laminations in large volume packaging applications.
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