Influence of wheat stalk nanocellulose on structural, mechanical, thermal, surface and degradation properties of composites with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)

Structural, mechanical, thermal and surface properties comprising biodegradable aromatic–aliphatic polymer poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and the wheat stalk-based nanocellulose (NCC) were studied. The materials were found to comprise the compatible and yet phase-segregated constituents which kept their identity in the nanocomposite materials. The NCC phase was found to be homogeneously dispersed in the PBAT matrix inside. Similar to the corresponding microcomposites, the investigated nanocomposites were found to be stable within their desired application temperature as packaging materials. The tensile properties of the nanocomposites degraded in terms of strain at break, tensile strength and tensile modulus. At higher filler content, the reinforcing effect dominated leading to an increase in indentation modulus and hardness, and a decrease in the work of elastic deformation. The wettability and the water absorption capacity of the materials increased with NCC content thereby enhancing the biodegradability of the composites.