Effects of acid hydrolysis time on cellulose nanocrystals properties: Nanoindentation and thermogravimetric studies

Nanoindentation and thermogravimetric studies were performed on different samples obtained from acid hydrolysis of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC). Acid hydrolysis of MCC was carried out using 64% H ₂SO ₄ at 45 ^°C for 10, 20, 30 min, 1 and 5 h, respectively. Elastic modulus and hardness were assessed for each sample. The samples hydrolyzed for 30 min or more had a considerably lower elastic modulus than those hydrolyzed for 20 min or less. Thermogravimetric (TGA) studies revealed that the onset of thermal degradation of all samples occurred at a lower temperature than that of MCC.