Nanoreinforced bacterial cellulose–montmorillonite composites for biomedical applications

Polymer composites containing solid clay nanoparticles have attracted immense attention due to the reinforced physico-mechanical properties of the final product. Bacterial cellulose–montmorillonite (BC–MMT) composites were prepared by impregnation of BC sheets with MMT suspension. FE-SEM showed that MMT adsorbed onto the surface as well as penetrated into the matrix of the BC sheets. Peaks for both BC and MMT were present in the FT-IR spectrum of the composite. XRD also showed diffraction peaks for MMT and BC with a slight decrease in the composite crystallinity from 63.22% of pure BC to 49.68% of BC–MMT3. The mechanical and thermal properties of BC–MMT composites were significantly improved compared to those of the pure BC. Tensile strength for composites was increased up to 210 MPa from 151.3 Mpa (BC) while their degradation temperature extended from 232 °C (BC) up to 310 °C. Similarly, the water holding capacity was decreased while the water release rate was improved for the BC–MMT composites as compared to the pure BC.