Ezatollah Amini*, Mehdi Tajvidi**

*PhD Student, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

**Assistant Professor of Renewable Nanomaterials, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

2

1) http://product-finder.basf.com/group/corporate/product-finder/en/literature-document:/Sales+Products+Acrodur+950+L-Brochure--

Acrodur+Ecotechnology+by+BASF-English.pdf

2) http://www.automotive.basf.com/importance-thermosets-light-duty-vehicles/

3) http://www.jeccomposites.com/knowledge/international-composites-news/first-automobile-roof-frame-made-natural-fiber

o Acrodur® is a water-based binding agent for natural and

synthetic fibers. It offers an alternative to formaldehyde-

containing or solvent-based resins and therefore guarantees

safe, simple and environmentally compatible applications1

o Developing the first roof frame entirely made of natural

fibers by BASF together with the IAC group3

o Acrodur® provides high load capacity and heat resistance

of the lightweight components leads to less fuel

consumption and lower carbon emission3

Acrodur® & Automotive

Industry

3

1) Islam MS, Miao M. Optimizing processing conditions of flax fabric reinforced biocomposites. J. Comp. Mater. (2014) 48(26) 3281-3292.

2) Khalfallah M, Abbes B, Abbes F, Guo YQ, Marcel Y, Duval A, Vanfleteren F, and Rousseau F. Innovative flax tapes reinforced Acrodur biocomposites: A

new alternative for automotive applications. Mater. and Des. 64 (2014) 116-126.

o Islam and Miao (2014): Optimization of the processing

conditions (Acrodur® solution to dispersion ratio, RH%,

curing time and temperature) of flax fabric reinforced

Acrodur® biocomposites1

o Khalfallah et al. (2014): Investigating the relationship between

the process variables (drying, fiber content, curing …) and the

properties of flax reinforced Acrodur® UD laminates2

Studies on Acrodur®

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Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC)

Crystalline nano-scale cellulose fibers

Diameter of 5-10 nm and length of 150-200 nm

Produced from wood pulp

Mostly in the form of 5%-12% aqueous slurry

Having exceptional mechanical properties makes them

suitable for various applications

CNC

http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i26/Nano-Forest.html

http://www.carrb.com/10rpt/Nano.htm

https://www.celluloselab.com/

5

Motivation & Objectives

CNC has an excellent reinforcing properties as well as being light and

biodegradable extracted from sustainable resources.

Investigating the effect of adding CNC on the mechanical and thermal behavior of

Acrodur® biocomposites

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Sample Production

Sample Acrodur® DS 3515

add-on

Lutensol TDA 10

(g/m2 of the mat)

CNC

add-on

Density (g/cm3)

Control 48% 3.5 - 0.56

2% CNC add-on 48% 3.5 2% 0.55

5% CNC add-on 48% 3.5 5% 0.52

Materials:

Mat: Natural fibers (70%)/PET (30%);

(1000 g/m2)

Acrodur® DS 3515 (60 wt.% solids)

CNC (6 wt.% solids)

Lutensol TDA 10 (surfactant)

Water (160 g/m2 of the mat)

Method:

Impregnating in the mixture of Acr., TDA, and

CNC

Oven-drying @ 75 °C overnight

Hot-pressing to the final thickness of 3 mm @

200 °C for 2 min (Panel target density: 0.5

g/cm3)

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Flexural Tests

ASTM D 790-03

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

0.00

200.00

400.00

600.00

800.00

1,000.00

1,200.00

Control 2% CNC add-on 5% CNC add-on

MO

R (

MP

a)

MO

E (

MP

a)

MOE MOR

Samples:Length= 100 mm

Width= 12.5 mm

Thickness= 3 mm

Test:Span length= 40 mm

Speed= 3 mm/min

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Izod Impact Test

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

CTRL 2% CNC 5% CNC

Impact R

esis

tance (

J/m

)

Unnotched Izod Imapct

ASTM D 256-10

Unnotched Izod Pendulum Impact:Speed= 3.460 m/s

θ= 150°

Max Energy= 2.750 J

Samples:Length= 45 mm

Width= 12.5 mm

Thickness= 3 mm

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SEM Imaging

Control 2% CNC

add-on

5% CNC

add-on

Control 2% CNC

add-on

5% CNC

add-on

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Thermal Stability Tests

Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA):

High-Resolution-Dynamic

Ramp 10 °C/min to 600 °C

Samples:

Acr. panel (control)

Acr. panel (2% CNC add-on)

Acr. panel (5% CNC add-on)

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Thermal Stability Tests

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Conclusion

Adding CNC increased flexural modulus significantly up to 970 MPa (17.5% increase), while it

did not significantly affect flexural strength values.

A reduction was observed in the impact strength of the samples by adding CNC, however, it

was not substantial.

The SEM micrographs of the fractured samples of impact test showed that in all cases, the

fracture happened due to the failure of the fibrous system and in particular natural fibers.

Thermal stability of the bicomposite samples reduced slightly by adding CNC.

Great compatibility of CNC particles with Acrodur® resin is promising and the improvement in

flexural modulus can lead to the design of lighter parts for automotive interior applications

such as door panels and headliners

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Acknowledgements

BASF (supplier) and Brett Burns

Dr. Mehdi Tajvidi (my advisor)

Lu Wang (for helping with Impact tests)

Shokoofeh Ghasemi (for helping with SEM imaging)