Technological watch

Natural cellulose is a kind of environmentally friendly materials widely used in pharmaceutical and plastic processing industry for its excellent biodegradability and mechanical performance. The aim of this paper was to prepare hybrid nanocellulose film with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and evaluate the morphological structure, mechanical performance, thermal stability, and light transmittance of the film obtained by vacuum suction filtration method. Acid hydrolysis and high pressure homogenization methods were used to produce CNC and CNF with the help of different acid, alkali, and salt solution. The results revealed that the content of CNF was closely related to the tensile property while the CNC was beneficial to the light transmittance. A rough surface and bumps could be observed in nanocellulose film containing CNC or CNF only. A combination of rod like CNC and filamentous CNF could bring about a balance between mechanical performance, thermal stability, and light transmittance. The results obtained in this paper can offer significant reference to the formula design and optimization of processing parameters in manufacturing of nanocellulose film for packaging in mass production with excellent comprehensive performance.