02021nas a2200241   4500008004100000022001400041245008900055210006900144260000800213300001200221490000700233520126300240653001401503653001501517653001801532653001301550100001701563700001701580700001501597700003101612700002101643856011501664       2019                        eng d  a1751-616100aInfluence of nanocellulose on mechanics and morphology of polyvinyl alcohol xerogels0 aInfluence of nanocellulose on mechanics and morphology of polyvi  cFEB  a275-2830 v903 a<p>Xerogels are porous networks of crosslinked polymers that are useful for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, scaffold engineering, tissue regeneration, cell culture and wound dressing. However, inferior mechanical properties curtail their applications to a considerable extent. Nanocellulose fibers and crystals are often added into the polymer matrix to improve their mechanical strength. Here, nanocellulose in the mass ratios of 7%, 13% and 18% are loaded into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix followed by thermo-morpho-mechanical characterization. With increase in nanocellulose content, thermal degradation occurs at a lower temperature. It is observed that addition of higher quantity of nanocellulose crystals leads to the formation of weak cellulose rich regions causing xerogel rupture. This is predominantly observed for xerogel loaded with 18% nanocellulose crystals. Similarly, addition of higher quantity of nanocellulose fibers increase brittleness of the xerogels causing fracture. This is predominantly observed for xerogel loaded with 18% nanocellulose fibers. Creep strain and stress relaxation is observed to decrease with addition of nanocellulose loading owing to molecular chain restriction and polymer chain immobility.</p>10aMechanics10aMorphology10aNanocellulose10aXerogels1 aPramanik, R.1 aGanivada, B.1 aRam, Farsa1 aShanmuganathan, Kadhiravan1 aArockiarajan, A.  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/influence-nanocellulose-mechanics-and-morphology-polyvinyl-alcohol-xerogels02476nas a2200277   4500008004100000022001400041245012400055210006900179260000800248300001100256490000800267520158800275653001101863653002001874653001401894653001501908653001801923653000901941100001501950700001601965700001701981700002201998700003102020700002102051856012602072       2020                        eng d  a0925-838800aPVDF/BaTiO3 films with nanocellulose impregnation: investigation of structural, morphological and mechanical properties0 aPVDFBaTiO3 films with nanocellulose impregnation investigation o  cMAY  a1537010 v8233 a<p>Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite films have witnessed widespread applications in biomedical and flexible electronic devices in recent years. These applications require a material that has enhanced electrical properties, mechanical flexibility along with sufficient strength. A lot of research has been carried out to enhance the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the PVDF composite films. However, the improvements in the mechanical properties of nano filler reinforced PVDF composite films has not received due attention. In this regard, the present work focuses towards enhancing the mechanical strength and load-bearing capability of PVDF, by preparing composites of PVDF films impregnated with Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) and Barium Titanate (BTO) nanoparticles. Solution casting method was adapted to fabricate the PVDF/BTO/CNC films. X-ray diffractograms and FTIR (Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy) corroborate the presence of ferroelectric gamma phase in PVDF. Mechanical and viscoelastic measurements have been carried out to examine the influence of CNC and BTO nano fillers in the PVDF matrix. The addition of CNC and BTO in PVDF film has improved the mechanical strength significantly. The stress achieved for PVDF/5% BTO and PVDF/5% BTO with 0.9% of CNC at 5% strain was 17% and 130% higher than the pristine PVDF, respectively. This study can be helpful for the design engineers to meet custom/specific requirements for a myriad of end- user applications such as piezoelectric nanogenerators. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</p>
10aBaTiO310aComposite films10aMechanics10aMorphology10aNanocellulose10aPVDF1 aRam, Farsa1 aKaviraj, P.1 aPramanik, R.1 aKrishnan, Amrutha1 aShanmuganathan, Kadhiravan1 aArockiarajan, A.  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/pvdfbatio3-films-nanocellulose-impregnation-investigation-structural-morphological-and