Polyamide-6/cellulose nanocomposites: Influence of fiber treatment and screw rotation on nanofibrillation of jute during extrusion process

The present work studied the preparation of nanocomposites of polyamide-6 (PA6) containing nanofibrillated cellulose by melt blending in a twin screw extruder at different screw rotations to verify the fibrillation of cellulose fibers. Initially, the jute fibers were purified, hydrolyzed, and modified with titanium isopropoxide and aminopropyl silane, as well as with the two chemical modifications. They were incorporated into the polymeric matrix aiming that the shear in processing further aids in fiber fibrillation. The scanning electron microscopy analysis images of the composites showed the presence of fibers with nanodiameters dispersed in the PA6 matrix. The doubly modified fibers resulted in more fibrillation during extrusion. Increasing the screw speed of the extruder improved the degree of crystallinity for the composites with the modified fibers. The thermogravimetric measurements showed that the composite containing the doubly modified fibers increased the maximum degradation temperature. The storage modulus increased for the composites with the insertion of the treated fibers, and the glass transition temperature decreased in some composites. The composites showed higher pseudoplastic behavior, especially at high shear rates.