Effect of addition polyethylene glycol on morphology and functional groups of composite films bacterial nanocellulose - graphite nanoplatelets

Abstract Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) existence on the composite film bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) reinforced with graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) has been analyzed in this research. Pineapple peel waste extract was used to synthesis the bacterial cellulose (BC) pellicle. A 1% NaOH solution was used to remove impurities from the BC pellicle. Mechanical disintegration and a high-pressure homogenization method were used to synthesize BNC. The high-pressure homogenizer (HPH) runs for five cycles at 150 bar before being filtered with a vacuum filter. The composite films are synthesized using a mixture of BNC, PEG 1%, and GNP 2.5%. Then the mixed slurry was dried using an oven for 14 hours at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. The morphology of composite BNC film was observed by using SEM. The addition of PEG causes the BC structure to become more porous. GNP is not well distributed in the BNC matrix but still acts as a dispersed filler. FTIR analysis is conducted to see its functional groups. The addition of GNP caused the hydroxyl group to be significantly reduced.