Implementation
Cellulose reinforced polymer nanocomposites

The main difficulty associated with nanoparticles is achieving a homogeneous dispersion within a polymer matrix. Indeed, as particle size decreases, specific surface area increases rapidly, exacerbating their tendency to self-aggregate. Figure 1 shows the evolution of the specific surface area of cellulosic cylinders as a function of their diameter. It can be seen from this figure that below a diameter of 20 nm, i.e. in the range of values corresponding to cellulosic nanoparticles, their specific surface area increases very rapidly, reaching values of the order of a few hundred m²·g^–1. In addition, cellulose has a reactive surface with a high density of hydroxyl groups...