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This article reports on electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) modification with lignocellulose nanowhiskers (LCNWs) produced from hemp shives without using harsh preparation steps. LCNWs were obtained by using steam explosion (SE) pretreatment, ball milling, and ultrasonication. Formation of LCNWs was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Obtained LCNWs were used to modify the mechanical properties of electrospun PVA nanofibers. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy analyses provided clear evidence of the presence of cellulose nanowhiskers in the PVA/LCNW electrospun mats. It was found that tensile stress at break increases more than fivefold for PVA nanofiber mats reinforced with LCNWs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A study of nanofibre composites obtained by electro spinning from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solutions of steam exploded hemp fibres and shives is reported. A combined treatment of steam explosion (SE), ball milling, and high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) is applied to prepare cellulose nanofibres (CNF) from hemp fibres (CNF-F) and shives (CNF-S). The reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FTIR ATR) spectroscopy is used to analyze the obtained PVA/CNF composite mats. Morphology of the PVA/CNF composites was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]