Modified cellulose-based hybrid materials: Effect of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles on the thermal insulation property.

Cellulose which is the most abundant and renewable biopolymer is drawing a tremendous level of attention, that will continue to grow in the future driven by the sustainability trend. In this study, cellulose was extracted and functionalized using a chemical modification and blended with metallic nanoparticles such as zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs) and copper oxide (CuO-NPs) that take a growing interest related to their unsurpassed quintessential physical and chemical properties. SEM results indicate that the metallic nanoparticles were highly prepared and attached to the surface of the modified cellulose (MC). FTIR confirmed the successful functionalization of cellulose, while XRD results showed the characteristic diffraction peaks of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles. DSC reveals that the thermal stability of the modified cellulose increased with the addition of CuO-NPs and ZnO-NPs. The TGA/DTA analysis evaluates the thermal degradation of all cellulosic materials and affirms higher stability of Zn-NPs/MC compared to MC and CuO-NPs/MC. The heat insulation performances were evaluated using a heat insulation device constructed at our laboratory, which exhibits the highest insulation of ZnO-NPs/MC than CuO-NPs/MC. • Hybrid films based on modified cellulose and oxide nanoparticles using in situ method were prepared. • The addition of metallic oxide nanoparticles changes the heat conductivity of the matrix-based cellulose. • ZnO-NPs/MC material exhibits higher stability than CuO-NPs/MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]