| Abstract | Nanomaterial-reinforced composites are widely studied due to enhanced mechanical and thermal properties arising from nanomaterial-polymer interactions. However, the specific orientation of nanomaterials in a polymer matrix is of growing interest due to the anisotropic properties of the nanocomposites. In this work, we reinforced a commercially-relevant polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix with varying amounts of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and uniaxially aligned them by applying strain above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the nanocomposites. Directional amplification of the mechanical reinforcement effect was investigated by measuring the tensile strength, elongation-at-break, storage modulus, and optical birefringence of composites with varying wt% loading. We also characterized the morphology of cross-sections of the uniaxially aligned PVA-CNC films to demonstrate the altered orientation of CNCs within the PVA matrix. Additionally, using micro-Raman experiments (Raman spectroscopy applied to micro-regions of the uniaxially aligned film), we elucidate the deformation mechanism of CNCs and micromechanics of strain-induced alignment. |
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