文摘
Due to their flame retardant behavior, phosphorylated cellulosic fibers could be interesting candidates for use in the composite material field. However, because of the phosphate groups, the fiber network is highly charged and hydrophilic reducing its compatibility towards synthetic resins. An effective hydrophobization method for phosphorylated cellulosic fibers was therefore developed in order to enhance their hydrophobic behavior. The best results were obtained with a straightforward addition of tosylated fatty alcohols. The influence of the carbon chain length on the reaction efficiency, the thermal degradation and the hydrophobic behavior are reported. The success of the alkylation reaction was confirmed by FTIR analyses and the degree of substitution by elemental analysis. Contact angle with water of more than 100° were obtained after alkylation. The cellulosic samples were furthermore characterized by means of SEM, fiber length distribution, NMR spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis.