POS9-0117
Direct Liquid Feeding of Nanocellulose via Melt Extrusion Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate (PBAT)
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Hongrun Chen (Stockholm Univeristy)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
As global demand for sustainable and biodegradable materials increases, polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) has emerged as a promising biodegradable polymer due to its excellent flexibility and processability. However, its widespread application is often limited by relatively low mechanical strength and poor gas barrier properties. To address these deficiencies, this project investigates the incorporation of various grades of nanocellulose into a commercial PBAT matrix to enhance both mechanical properties.
While nanocellulose and PBAT can exhibit high affinity due to their polar structures, compounding them presents significant processing challenges. These include the mismatch between hydrophilic nanocellulose and hydrophobic PBAT, the high-water content of native nanocellulose (~99% water), and its tendency to undergo irreversible aggregation during drying. To mitigate these issues, liquid feeding was used to feed the wet nanocellulose directly into PBAT during the melting phase within a twin-screw extruder, which facilitates simultaneous water evaporation and mixing. This approach aims to overcome the mixing challenges of nanocellulose/PBAT composites using a simple, potentially industrializable extrusion step. Furthermore, the interfacial surface chemistry will be tuned through the different strategies of using a coupling agent.
While nanocellulose and PBAT can exhibit high affinity due to their polar structures, compounding them presents significant processing challenges. These include the mismatch between hydrophilic nanocellulose and hydrophobic PBAT, the high-water content of native nanocellulose (~99% water), and its tendency to undergo irreversible aggregation during drying. To mitigate these issues, liquid feeding was used to feed the wet nanocellulose directly into PBAT during the melting phase within a twin-screw extruder, which facilitates simultaneous water evaporation and mixing. This approach aims to overcome the mixing challenges of nanocellulose/PBAT composites using a simple, potentially industrializable extrusion step. Furthermore, the interfacial surface chemistry will be tuned through the different strategies of using a coupling agent.
