CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTALS AS REINFORCEMENT OF POLY VINYL ALCOHOL NANOCOMPOSITES, 2010 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Product Industry

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The development of micro/nanofibers has attracted significant interest in the last few decades due to the unique properties they endow, such as their very high surface area-to-volume ratio. This characteristic along with the remarkable suitability for surface functionalization and superior mechanical performance makes possible their use in a wide range of applications in medical, pharmaceutical, filtration, and catalysis fields, among others.1, 2 A versatile and inexpensive method for the production of micro and nanofibers is the electrospinning technique, based on the whipping of polymer solutions under electrostatic forces.3-5 Various polymers, including polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, polypeptides, and polysaccharides, have successfully been electrospun into micro- and nanofiber mats.5 Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), a commonly used polymer obtained by controlled hydrolysis of poly vinyl acetate (PVAc), can be used to produce fibers via electrospinning.