Method for preparing modified nanocrystalline cellulose

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10647783-B2
Application number	US-201615771141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2016
Priority date	Oct 27, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods for functionalizing the surfaces of cellulose nanoparticles. In embodiments, nanoparticles are aerosolized, and then passed through a flow reactor where they are contacted with gaseous reactants to functionalize the surface of the nanoparticles. In other embodiments, the nanoparticles are aerosolized, and then passed through a plasma reactor where they are contacted with gaseous reactants to functionalize the surface of the nanoparticles. Once the functionalized nanoparticles are produced, they may be combined with polymers to form polymer composites having both a polymer and the functionalized nanoparticles. Systems for producing these functionalized nanoparticles, coupled with downstream polymer processing equipment for forming the polymer composites, are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
aerosolizing cellulose nanoparticles;
introducing the aerosolized cellulose nanoparticles into a plasma flow reactor possessing at least two electrodes therein;
introducing reactive gas radicals into the plasma flow reactor;
allowing the reactive gas radicals to functionalize the surface of the cellulose nanoparticles as they pass through the plasma flow reactor to produce functionalized cellulose nanoparticles; and
collecting the functionalized cellulose nanoparticles.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature in the plasma flow reactor is from about 20° C. to about 250° C.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flow rate of the aerosolized cellulose nanoparticles in the plasma flow reactor is from about 1 cubic centimeters per minute to about 10 cubic feet per minute.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the residence time of the aerosolized cellulose nanoparticles in the plasma flow reactor is from about 0.1 second to about 100 minutes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the aerosolized cellulose nanoparticles in the plasma flow reactor is from about 1 part per billion to about 10000 parts per million.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive gas radicals are derived from gases selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, water, carbon tetrachloride, tetrafluoromethane, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frequency in the plasma flow reactor is from about 1 MHz to about 1000 MHz.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the output power of the plasma flow reactor is from about 25 W to about 50 kW.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas pressure in the plasma flow reactor is from about 1 Pa to about 200 Pa.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising combining the collected functionalized cellulose nanoparticles with a polymer to form a polymer composite.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the polymer is based upon a polymer selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid, polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene terephthalate, butyl rubber, natural rubber, polyacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polysulfide, polystyrene, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the collected functionalized cellulose nanoparticles are combined with the polymer at a polymer feed rate from about 1 kilogram/hour to about 100 kilograms/hour.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the polymer composite includes the polymer in amounts from about 50% by weight to about 99.9% by weight of the polymer composite.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the polymer composite includes the functionalized cellulose nanoparticles in amounts from about 0.1% by weight to about 50% by weight of the polymer composite.

Assignees

• Univ New York State Res Found

Inventors

• Orlov Alexander
• Knopf Daniel
• Grubbs Robert
• Ramakrishnan Girish

Classifications

• C08B15/00

  Preparation of other cellulose derivatives or modified cellulose {, e.g. complexes} · CPC title

• C08B15/05 Primary

  Derivatives containing elements other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, halogens or sulfur (esters or phosphorous acids C08B5/00) · CPC title

• B01J2219/0896

  Cold plasma · CPC title

• B01J2219/0886

  Gas-solid · CPC title

• C08B15/02

  Oxycellulose; Hydrocellulose; {Cellulosehydrate, e.g. microcrystalline cellulose} · CPC title