抄録
In this study, an improvement in the heat resistance of cellulose fibers was achieved via the introduction of thermally stable siloxane bonds (Si-O), which were formed by promoting the reaction of cellulose hydroxyl groups with an organo-silicon compound. Currently, there are a number of green composite materials based on the system of cellulose fiber reinforcement and thermoplastic resin matrices. However, the heat application in the molding process introduces important issues for these materials-such as the easy degradation of cellulose fibers, during which they become weak, discolored and odorous. Here, the heat resistance improvement of cellulose in the green composite at around the molding temperature (160-240℃) is discussed. The heat-resistant, modified cellulose was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and tensile testing. The SEM and XPS results show that the surfaces of the samples are smooth, with no significant change in the diameters of the cellulose fibers upon Si introduction. After heat treatment of the modified cellulose fibers at temperatures ranging from 160 to 240℃, the deterioration of the tensile strength of the modified cellulose fibers was suppressed. The tensile test and TG analysis also indicated that the degree of degradation of the cellulose fibers decreases with increasing organo-silicon weight fraction.
