Wu Chao, Wu Bunan, Abdalkarim Somia Yassin Hussain, Wang Mingxin, Zou Zongjun, Jin Meijin, Yu Hou-Yong
Key Laboratory of Intelligent Textile and Flexible Interconnection of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
Huafon Group Co., Ltd, China.
Carbohydr Polym. 2025 Oct 15;366:123926. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.123926. Epub 2025 Jun 19.
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are promising reinforcements for bio-based polylactic acid (PLA); however, their one-dimensional (1D) structure limits their effectiveness due to insufficient hydrogen bonding with PLA chains and inadequate promotion of spherulite formation, resulting in suboptimal dispersion. To address this issue, this study introduces a novel approach by creating mineralized cellulose nanocrystals (MCNC) with multi-dimensional morphologies through in-situ CaCO growth. Three variants of MCNC are incorporated into PLA, including the MCNC variant, which features a 3D cubic crystal structure that significantly enhances PLA spherulite growth by providing additional nucleation sites. This leads to accelerated crystallization rates and an optimized crystal structure, as evidenced by a 3.9 °C reduction in cold crystallization temperature and a 17.1 % increase in crystallinity compared to pure PLA. Furthermore, the rigidity of inorganic CaCO₃ and the toughness of CNC synergistically enhance the mechanical properties of PLA composites through stress dispersion mechanisms, including a 34.6 % increase in tensile strength and an 84.3 % improvement in elongation at break, along with enhanced water permeability and faster degradation rates. Overall, this study presents a novel and multi-dimensional reinforcement strategy to effectively addresses the constraints of traditional CNCs, offering comprehensive improvements that make PLA/MCNC a viable eco-friendly substitute for agricultural mulch films and sustainable packaging solutions.
纤维素纳米晶体（CNCs）是生物基聚乳酸（PLA）很有前景的增强材料；然而，由于其与PLA链的氢键作用不足以及对球晶形成的促进作用不够，其一维（1D）结构限制了其有效性，导致分散效果欠佳。为解决这一问题，本研究引入了一种新方法，即通过原位碳酸钙生长制备具有多维形态的矿化纤维素纳米晶体（MCNC）。将三种MCNC变体掺入PLA中，其中一种MCNC变体具有三维立方晶体结构，通过提供额外的成核位点显著促进了PLA球晶的生长。这导致结晶速率加快和晶体结构优化，与纯PLA相比，冷结晶温度降低了3.9℃，结晶度提高了17.1%，证明了这一点。此外，无机碳酸钙的刚性和CNC的韧性通过应力分散机制协同增强了PLA复合材料的力学性能，包括拉伸强度提高了34.6%，断裂伸长率提高了84.3%，同时还提高了透水性和降解速率。总体而言，本研究提出了一种新颖的多维增强策略，有效解决了传统CNC的局限性，提供了全面的改进，使PLA/MCNC成为农用薄膜和可持续包装解决方案可行的环保替代品。
