Cellulose Nanoparticles – A Potential Reinforcement for Green Nanocomposites

Cellulose nanoparticles (CNP) have high potential to be used as reinforcing material in green nanocomposites for diversified applications. In this work, an attempt has been made to prepare green nanoparticles from renewable resources like cotton and jute and investigate their suitability as reinforcement in polymer nanocomposites. Cellulose nanoparticles were prepared by acid hydrolysis route and were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The block modulus, block hardness and viscoelastic deformation of the cellulose nanoparticle pellets were determined by nanoindentation technique. The thermal stability of the cellulose nanoparticles was correlated with the tangling effect of the cellulose chains.