Rheological behavior of nanofibrillated cellulose/acrylic polymer nanocomposites: Effect of melt extrusion

Abstract Nanocomposite films based on nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and acrylic latex were prepared by film casting and their melt rheology was investigated under dynamic conditions in both the linear and the nonlinear regimes. The addition of cellulose nanofiller increased the storage modulus G′ and the dynamic viscosities η* of the nanocomposites monotonically, with NFC contents up to 6wt%. In addition, a transition from liquid‐like to solid‐like viscoelastic behavior was observed up to 1wt% of the added NFC with a terminal plateau in the low‐frequency range. This was explained in terms of the formation of an interconnected network involving the filler. After melt extrusion, a considerable change in the rheological properties was observed, with a major downward shift in the magnitude of G′ vs. the frequencies along with an upward shift to higher strain in the linear viscoelastic range. Such a transition was attributed to the irreversible break‐down and disruption of the NFC network. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers