52 - Agro-waste nanocomposites for automotive applications
Prof. Dr. Alcides L. Leão, Bibin M. Cherian, Sivoney F. de Souza, Sabu Thomas College of Agricultural Sciences Botucatu, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Cellulose nanocrystals, also known as cellulose whiskers, are the crystalline domains of cellulosic sources. These nanoparticles, when isolated, have been evaluated as reinforcement material in polymeric matrixes due to their potential to improve, among others, the mechanical, optical, and dielectric properties of these matrixes. This work has been to study the production and incorporation of nanocellulose from several sources (pineapple, curaua, banana, coir) into thermoplastics matrix composites. The aim of the incorporation of nanocellulose as reinforcement is to reduce the weight of the parts as well as improvement in its mechanical properties, with the consequent advantages. The methodology from the fibers extraction, nanocellulose and composites production are described. A comparison between the traditional natural fibers reinforcement agents at macro, micro scales are compared. The nanocellulose showed and important alternative for composites production for automotive applications.
Sunday, March 27, 2011 04:30 PM
Composites from Natural Resources (01:15 PM - 05:00 PM)
Location: Hilton Anaheim
Room: San Simeon A/B