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
10
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)