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Preparation and Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) / Cellulose Nanocrystal (CNC) / Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanocomposites
1Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
2Chemistry Department, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 26400 Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia
3Faculty of Industrial Sciences & Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
4School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
5Department of Engineering Physics, Telkom University, Telekomunikasi No.1 Terusan Buah Batu, Bandung, 40257, Indonesia
*Email Address : norhakimin@umk.edu.my
Abstract : In this study, researchers prepared cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and commercial zinc oxide (ZnO) as a hybrid filler to reinforce the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix. The PVA/CNC/ZnO nanocomposite films were prepared by solvent casting method with different hybrid filler, CNC/ZnO ratios [(1:0.5 wt%), (2:1.0 wt%), (3:1.5 wt%) and (4:2.0 wt%)]. The prepared PVA/CNC/ZnO nanocomposites were then characterized using visual inspection, SEM, TGA and tensile tests. The results showed that the CNC/ZnO mixture was homogenous and dispersed for over 90 days. TGA revealed that the presence of CNC/ZnO in different weight ratios increases the degradation onset temperatures and achieves the highest thermal stability with the higher concentration of CNC/ZnO hybrid filler. The tensile test showed the increment of tensile properties where at a CNC/ZnO loading ratio of 3:1.5%, significant enhancements were observed in tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break.
Keywords : cellulose nanocrystals, ZnO, hybrid nanofiller, PVA, biodegradable