Chemical Modification of Microcrystalline Cellulose: Improvement of Barrier Surface Properties to enhance Surface Interactions with some synthetic polymers for Biodegradable Packaging Material Processing and Applications in Textile, Food and Pharmaceutical Industry

Gaseous acetylation of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was carried out to modify its chemical and physical properties and at the same time to preserve the morphology of cellulose microfibrils. Spectroscopic analysis of the samples was indicative of the success of the reaction as indicated by FT-IR and H-nmr studies. The chemically modified microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were blended with high density polyethylene (HDPE) using novel solvents for dissolution of polyethylene to obtain microcrystalline modified polyethylene blends (MCCMPB). The blends showed improved properties such as, flexibility, smoothness, transparency, strength and biodegradability which is indicative of hydrophobicity improvement relative to non-modified samples. Modification was important so as to bring about changes in attractive and repulsive forces in cellulose in order to enhance surface interactions between cellulose with high density polyethylene based on the principle “like dissolves like”.