Page 48 - PR 2014 2016 10 Materials and Nanotechnology

324 Materials and Nanotechnology | Progress Report
particles in the biodegradable starch polymer
is attractive to develop functional materials
for nanomedicine applications, Fig.55.
Figure 55. (a/b). DRX Differences in diffractograms of nanocompos- sonochemical methods, by irradiation with
ites (A) and differences in elongation % for nanocomposites (B).
Polymer composites reinforced with
micro and nanoparticle from natural
resources
The interest in polymer composites that
enable the use of products with less envi-
ronmental impact, such as vegetable fibers,
agroindustry residues, clays and other natural
resources have rapidly grown in the last two
decades worldwide. However, there is still
a long way to go in research to obtain ideal
polymeric composites and nanocomposites
from natural resources.
The focus of this research is to explore Brazil`s
enormous natural resources for the produc-
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares
tion of biobased and conventional polymer
composite and nanocomposite materials and
to avoid the huge amount of waste produced
by its agroindustry, thus contributing to a
sustainable development and, consequent-
ly, helping to improve the life standard of
people, who can live off the exploitation of
these resources. Based on the previous import-
ant questions, the present research focuses
the preparation of micro and nanoparticle
from natural resource and development of
advanced polymer composite materials for
several applications. Micro and nanoparticle
preparation: Bio-CaCO was obtained from
3
white chicken eggshells; green silica was
obtained by keeping sugarcane bagasse or
rice husk ashes in an air insufflating oven at
450°C, then ball-milled and classified granu-
lometrically (particle sizes ≤ 125 μm). Coffee
parchment husk, Brazil nut shell, sugarcane
bagasse, piassava, and rice husk fiber residues
were scraped, washed, dried and reduced to
fine powder, with particle sizes ≤ 250 μm
by using ball mills. Bio-CaCO and green sil-
3
ica nanoparticles were synthesized using
high intensity ultrasonic (20 kHz, 450 W/cm ).
2
Cellulose nanowhiskers were produced from
commercial microcrystalline cellulose (MCC,
Avicel PH- 101, FMC BioPolymer, USA) and
from sugarcane bagasse using acid hydrolysis
and irradiated with a high intensity ultrasonic
(20 kHz, and 450W/cm ). Brazilian clays were
2
modified by the addition of a quaternary salt
and sodium carbonate Graphene oxide (GO)
was prepared from purified conventional flake
graphite and irradiated with a high intensity
ultrasonic (20 kHz, and 450W/cm ) to obtain
2
GO nanosheets (Figure 56).
Figure 56. Graphene Oxide preparation.