Recently, the interest for renewable resources for fibers particularly of plant origin has been increasing. Reduction of use of
traditional textile materials is now considered more critical due to the increasing environmental concern. Natural fibers are renewable,
biodegradable, recyclable, and lightweight materials with high specific modulus, in competition with man-made fossil materials and
fiberglass. Natural fibers are used for preparation of functionalized textiles to achieve smart and intelligent properties. However, the
incorporation of these fibers in composite systems has been challenging due to their hydrophilic nature. Nevertheless, the fact that these
biodegradable materials can be manipulated at a nano-scale to complement desired objective and application has made them a favorable
option. The idea behind this project is to explore ways to convert green waste to high value materials and to utilize natural building
blocks to design textile reinforcement materials. In this work, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) supplied from the University of Maine were
hydrophobized by silylation and characterized using Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results from FTIR spectroscopy showed a formation of Si-O-C bonds, indicating better fiber-matrix
adhesion. Raman spectroscopy showed disruption of hydrogen bonding which indicates interference of parallel nanocellulose fiber adhesion
to neighboring fibrils. The TGA suggests that the thermal stability of the functionalized CNF is higher than that of the corresponding
neat sample, which could be a result of stable Si bond formation. The raw materials (neat and functionalized) were encapsulated in a
polystyrene matrix through a solvent and non-solvent precipitation process, and then extruded using single and dual heat processing. The
extruded thin filaments were tested according to the ASTM D638 (tensile test of plastics). Results showed an increasing Ultimate Tensile
Strength (UTS) and Elastic Modulus, with peak values attributed to the dual-heat processing up to 79% and 69% increase respectively at
5wt% loading. Further increase was seen at 10wt% loading up to 112MPa UTS, and modulus up to 10.7GPa for the dual-heat processing. The UTS
increase is assumed to be a result of linear arrangement of CNF in the matrix during the extrusion process. The results revealed the
strong reinforcing ability of CNF and their compatibility with thermoplastic matrix if functionalized. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial
fulfillment of the Master of Science. / Spring Semester 2016. / March 3, 2016. / Funtionalized nanofibrils, Hybrid Composites, Natural fibrils, Silynation, Textile composites, Treatment of
nanofirbils / Includes bibliographical references. / Tarik J. Dickens, Professor Directing Thesis; Mei Zhang, Committee Member; Abhishek K.
Shrivastava, Committee Member; Jhunu Chatterjee, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_360465 |
| Contributors | Ufodike, Chukwuzubelu O. (authoraut), Dickens, Tarik J. (professor directing thesis), Zhang, Mei (committee member), Shrivastava, Abhishek Kumar (committee member), Chatterjee, Jhunu (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), FAMU/FSU College of Engineering (degree granting college), Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (84 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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