Sustainable optically transparent composites based on epoxidized soy-bean oil (ESO) matrix and high contents of bacterial cellulose (BC)

Production of transparent composites from totally renewable resources with extraordinary potential for different applications can be made possible using cellulose. Composites of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO)/bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers have been prepared with high fiber content. Due to the nano-order scale network-like structure of BC nanofibers, composite films present high transparency even at high BC content. Transparency of films has been analyzed by UV-visible spectroscopy observing that only 15% of matrix transmittance is lost in the nanocomposites. ESO/BC composites show better mechanical properties with increasing BC content. Composites combine high stiffness and good ductility due to the incorporation of BC network structure in ESO matrix.