TITLE:
Polycaprolactone (PCL) Chains Grafting on the Surface of Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNCs) during In Situ Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone at Room Temperature
AUTHORS:
Jérémy Astruc, Patrice Cousin, Gaétan Laroche, Mathieu Robert, Saïd Elkoun
KEYWORDS:
Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNCs), Simultaneous Polymerization and Surface Grafting, ε-Caprolactone, Cationic Ring Opening Polymerization, Room Temperature, Silver Hexafluoroantimonate
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.11 No.11,
November
13,
2020
ABSTRACT: This work aimed at investigating the feasibility of surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) using in situ ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) at room temperature. Residues of flax and milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) stem fibers were used as a source of cellulose to obtain and isolate CNCs. The cationic ring opening polymerization (CROP) of the monomer ε-CL was used to covalently graft polycaprolactone (PCL) chains at the CNCs surface. Silver hexafluoroantimonate (AgSbF6) was used in combination with the extracted CNCs to initiate, at room temperature, the polymerization and the grafting reactions with no other stimulus. Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometry (XPS), UV/visible absorption and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) analyses evidenced the presence of PCL chains covalently grafted at CNCs surface, the formation of Ag(0) particles as well as low or moderate molecular weight free PCL chains.