Plasma-assisted fibrillation and surface-modification of microfibrillar cellulose

Abstract

The combination of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with maleic anhydride (MA) allowed for in-situ fibrillation and surface modification during pulsed plasma polymerization. Under optimized plasma parameters, the microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) morphology could be tuned according to the positioning in the reactor from small and short fibrils towards more elongated and crystallite structures in relation to the complex interactions between activated species. The chemical surface esterification was verified and resulted in good dispersion and higher water contact angle of the fibrils. The proposed route is an attractive 'green' and low-energy alternative for traditional mechanical processing and modification of nanocelluloses.