Simultaneously enhancing microelastic response and degradability for poly(butylene succinate) composite monofilaments by silanized microcrystalline cellulose

Abstract With the increasing demand for environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, research on cellulose/bio-based polyester composites has received increasing attention. However, the hydrophilicity of cellulose remains a major factor in its poor interaction with hydrophobic bio-based polyester. To prepare microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) composite monofilaments with high cellulose content to suppress the deformation of PBS, hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (KH1631) was selected for surface silylation of MCC in a mass ratio of 1:0.5 based on the principle of polarity similarity. The physical-chemical double crosslinking of KH1631 with MCC enhanced the interface bonding of MCC and PBS, so the composite monofilaments with mMCC content up to 35 wt% were prepared by melt spinning. After multi-stage and high-ratio thermal stretching, mMCC/PBS composite monofilaments exhibited uniformly distributed microporous structure, as well as double yield behaviors and microelastic response, indicating that mMCC/PBS composite monofilaments exhibited excellent tensile elasticity, fatigue resistance, and lower residual strains under small deformation (15%). Notably, the addition of 15–35 wt% mMCC increased the degradability of mMCC/PBS composite monofilaments following 100 days of treatment in an aqueous environment and 180 days of burial in soil. Overall, our work has significantly enhanced the compatibility between MCC and PBS without the use of any high-cost modifiers or complex processing methods, and successfully developed mMCC/PBS composite monofilaments that exhibit excellent dimensional stability during use and quick degradation after disposal.