Blending cellulose with polyethylene-co-acrylic acid in alkaline water suspension

Alkaline solutions of cellulose and polyethylene-co-acrylic acid (PE-co-AA) were mixed in order to prepare homogeneous cellulose/PE-co-AA blends. Different mixing methods were tested and the evolution of solutions was characterized by rheological methods and optical microscopy. In addition to the solution stage studies, the precipitated dry blends were characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis. Mixing the solutions led to the formation of a suspension, consisting of PE-co-AA particles dispersed evenly throughout the cellulose solution. Based on the conducted studies, it became clear that a uniform quality and the best mixing were attained with a method in which the suspension was frozen and melted between the mixing. In dry blends the polymers were found to be mixed on 1 μm scale, and the crystallization temperature of the PE-co-AA phase was increased ~6 °C due to the nucleation ability of the cellulose phase.