Enhanced thermal, mechanical, and optical properties of cellulose nanocrystal embedded cyclic olefin copolymer composite film

In the current study, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) reinforced cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) composite film was fabricated via spin-coating. For the application to the transparent and flexible substrate, the physical characteristics of the composite film were investigated, such as transparency, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thermal properties and scratch resistance. COC was used as a matrix due to its high optical transparency, and CNC was utilized as a filler to lower CTE and enhance the thermal and mechanical properties. As the CNC loading increased, the tensile strength and elastic modulus increased significantly. In addition, the CNC/COC film exhibited a high transparency of 85%. Graphical abstract