Synthesis and characterisation of a new nanobiocomposite based on Dawson-nanocellulose for catalytic synthesis of metal nanoparticles

Bionanocomposites are bio-based nanocomposites. Actually, they represent an emerging group of nanostructured hybrid materials. Expanding the concept of biocomposites[1] to the nanostructured hybrid materials, bionanocomposites can be defined in the following two ways. It could designate nanocomposites as materials made from renewable nanoparticles (e.g., cellulose whiskers and MFC) and petroleum-derived polymers like PP, PE, and epoxies[2].In this research, the green cellulose-Dawson nanobiocomposites were synthesised using nanocellulose and Dawson heteropolyacid at different loadings including 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt% and used for in-situ synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles with different sizes and morphologhies. Our findings show that these nanobiocomposites can produce metal nanostructures on their surface and form nanobiocomposites including metal nanostructures . The prepared nano biocomposites characterised by FTIR, XRD, AFM, TEM and SEM analysis. In addition, the metal nanostructure synthesis was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy step by step. It was shown that the loading amount of heteropolyacid could control the size and shape of metal nanostructures as well as time and pH of their formation.