A new article from Ning Yan’s lab has been published in Chemical Engineering Journal written by To Yu Troy Su, Rafaela Aguiar, Nello D. Sansone, Cheng Hao, Ning Yan, and Patrick C. Lee.

You can find the paper here.

Abstract

This study presents the first integration of spray dried (SD), non-modified, lignocellulosic nanofibrils (LCNF) into polylactic acid (PLA) by melt blending. Originating from industrial forestry waste, SD LCNFs are an inexpensive, non-toxic, and abundantly accessible drop-in filler whose production is facile, continuous, and highly scalable. Addition of SD LCNF into PLA yields enhanced barrier and mechanical performance due to SD LCNF’s alteration of the crystalline microstructure and fracture dynamics. Incorporating 1–1.5 wt% of SD LCNFs into PLA results in significant enhancements: tensile strength by 32.8%, toughness by 44.6%, water vapor barrier performance by 38.8%, and oxygen barrier properties by 26.4%, compared to neat PLA. Their nucleating capability hastens isothermal crystallization of PLA composites by over 90%, enabling faster processing times. For the first time, in-situ polarized optical microscopy is used to visualize fracture toughening mechanisms in PLA under strain, revealing a direct link between mechanical property improvements and the role of SD LCNFs as craze nucleators in PLA. Additionally, the in-situ observation of crystallization kinetics highlights how SD LCNFs influences PLA microstructure, correlating these structural changes with enhanced barrier and mechanical properties. The composite’s optical clarity and UV shielding capabilities are assessed, confirming its potential for specialty packaging applications.