Influence of PMMA particle size control on the transmittance of PMMA/tempo-oxidized cellulose composites

Abstract

Cellulose is a class of biopolymers that prominently contributes to developing lightweight, eco-friendly, and biodegradable plastics. Among them, nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) is one of the most interesting due to its mechanical behavior. Mixing it with synthetic plastic such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) reduces synthetic polymer usage, agro-industrial residue and develops fiber-reinforced composites. NFC was prepared from residual biomass and oxidized with TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical). Herein, NFC was incorporated (25, 50 and 75 wt%) in a colloidal emulsion of PMMA, with PMMA particle size control (50 and 175 nm). The investigation of this system on the PMMA/NFC transparency was addressed here.