Abstract
With the continuous use of fossils and metals, the resources are depleting very fast and in order to maintain the supply with demand there is a need to find the best suitable alternative. Composites have brought a revolutionary change in the field of engineering, along with the very serious concerns for the environment too. In addition, the conventional fibre reinforced composites are polluting the environment very severely, hence disturbing the whole life cycle. To maintain the balance between nature and technology, there is a need to make most of the natural resources without making any harm to the environment. Following this idea, there is a lot of research going in the field of natural fibres. Despite the extra ordinary performance of carbon and glass fibres, its manufacturing, processing and decomposition compromises the environment health, hence leaving serious concerns. On the other hand, cellulose fibres which are not only manufactured from benign material but also are very less harmful for the environment along with its important properties making it efficient enough to be used in the engineering, textile, medical, food and cosmetics industry.“Considerable growth is expected in the production of man-made cellulose textile fibres.” [1]
In this thesis the manufacturing and characterization of the best cellulose fibres produced is discussed. The cellulose fibres were produced by dissolving 4wt% and 6 wt. % DP890 in ionic liquid and also were later produced with Cellulose Nano crystals dispersion, winding speed was kept at 200rpm (approximately), needle diameter 340 um and spinning temperature between 50-60 degree Celsius. Fine fibres with diameter ~21um were manufactured and tested for mechanical properties and characterization. It was found that the tensile strength of the cellulose fibres was increased from 276 (±10.7) MPa to 630 (±35.5) MPa and the young’s modulus was increased from 21 (±1.2) GPa to 43 (±1.7) GPa when the fibres were dispersed with Cellulose Nano Crystals. The cellulose fibres were briefly studied for curcumin dispersion as well. These were tested for mechanical properties in this thesis.
Keywords: Nano Cellulose, Cellulose Nanocrystals, bio-composites.
| Date of Award | 25 Sept 2018 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Sameer Rahatekar (Supervisor) & Michael R Wisnom (Supervisor) |