RADIATION-RESISTANT COMPOSITE FILMS BASED ON WHEAT STRAW CELLULOSE
Keywords:
wheat straw cellulose; TEMPO-mediated oxidation; polyvinyl alcohol (PVA); biopolymer composites; gamma-ray attenuation; radiation-shielding materials; biodegradable films; sustainable materialsAbstract
The utilization of agricultural residues as renewable sources for advanced functional materials has attracted considerable attention in recent years, particularly in the development of environmentally sustainable radiation-shielding systems. In the present work, cellulose was isolated from wheat straw through alkaline delignification and subsequent hydrogen peroxide bleaching. The obtained cellulose was further functionalized using TEMPO-mediated oxidation and incorporated into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix to fabricate biodegradable composite films with radiation-protective properties.
A comprehensive characterization of the extracted cellulose and the resulting composites was carried out using FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, tensile strength measurements, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and gamma-ray attenuation analysis. The isolated cellulose exhibited a crystallinity index of 72.4% and showed thermal degradation at approximately 348°C, confirming its potential as an effective reinforcing component. The introduction of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose into the PVA matrix resulted in notable improvements in both mechanical and thermal performance. In particular, tensile strength increased from 39.2 MPa for neat PVA films to 74.6 MPa for the cellulose-reinforced composites.
The radiation attenuation study revealed that the developed composites provided better gamma-ray shielding performance than pure PVA, suggesting that the modified cellulose contributes not only to structural reinforcement but also to improved protective functionality. These findings demonstrate that wheat-straw-derived cellulose can serve as a valuable bio-based reinforcement for the fabrication of multifunctional composite films. The proposed materials offer a combination of biodegradability, mechanical robustness, thermal stability, and radiation-shielding capability, which may support their use in medical packaging, protective surface coatings, and other sustainable radiation-protection applications.
References
1. Alemdar, A., & Sain, M. (2008). Isolation and characterization of nanofibers from agricultural residues: Wheat straw and soy hulls. Bioresource Technology, 99(6), 16641671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2007.04.029.
2. Isogai, A., Saito, T., & Fukuzumi, H. (2011). TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers. Polymers, 3(2), 717-733. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym3020717.
3. Saito, T., Nishiyama, Y., Putaux, J. L., Vignon, M. R., & Isogai, A. (2006). Homogeneous suspensions of individualized microfibrils from TEMPO-catalyzed oxidation of native cellulose. Biomacromolecules, 7(6), 1687-1691. https://doi.org/10.1021/bm060154s.
4. Roohani, M., Habibi, Y., Belgacem, M. N., Ebrahim, G., Karimi, A. N., & Dufresne, A. (2008). Cellulose nanoparticles from cotton t-shirt waste as a reinforcing agent for polyvinyl alcohol. European Polymer Journal, 44(8), 2489-2498. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.eurpolymj.2008.05.023.
5. Qiu, K., & Netravali, A. N. (2012). Fabrication and characterization of biodegradable composites based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and agricultural cellulose nanofibers. Journal of Materials Science, 47(11), 4615-4625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-012-6322-x.
6. Sayyed, M. I., Al-Hajry, A., Mahmoud, K. A., & Al-Mubarak, M. (2020). Assessment of gamma-radiation shielding competence of polymer composites reinforced with eco-friendly materials. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 177, 109114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2020.109114.
7. Kadam, V. V., Wang, L., & Padhye, R. (2019). Evaluation of UV protection and optical properties of PVA/cellulose nanocrystal composite films. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 136(22), 47589. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.47589
8. QN Khoshimov, SQ Sodiqjonov, AA Ataxojayev, AM Razzoqova, EA Egamberdiyev. New type of wood-polymer composites. Универсальная индексная библиотека прикладных наук в современном мире: проблемы и решения 2025
9. Khoshimov Q.N., Ungarov J.F., Ataxojayev A.A., Egamberdiev E.A., Xabibullayeva L.M. Effective use of solid household waste // Наука и инновация. 2025. Т.3, №7. 22–25b. URL: https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/scin/article/view/76066
10. Egamberdiev, E., Khaydullaev, K., Shomurodov, D., Atakhodjaev, A., et al. (2024). Application of waste paper in composite materials based on mineral fibers. E3S Web of Conferences, 497, 02026.
