Facile Pickering Emulsion-Templated Approach to a Cellulose Nanofiber/Vegetable Oil-Based Polymer Nanocomposite with Excellent Solvent Resistance, Thermal Processability, and Mechanical and Adhesive Performance

Preparation of high-performance renewable adhesive materials based on vegetable oil-based polymers (VOPs) via a simple and efficient green route was of great significance but still remained a challenge. In this paper, the cellulose nanofiber/VOPs nanocomposite adhesive prepared via a simple and clean Pickering emulsion method was first reported, which combined fine mechanical properties, recyclability, thermal processability, solvent resistance, and high-efficiency adhesion. Compared to the tacky state of VOPs (poly(lauryl methacrylate-co-tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate), PLT), after the introduction of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN), TOCN/PLT formed good self-standing composite films, greatly enhancing the convenience and precision of adhesive application. With the addition of 8 wt % TOCN, the TOCN/PLT nanocomposite exhibited remarkable increases of 2336% in tensile strength, 1005% in toughness, 9858% in Young's modulus, 33.32 degrees C in glass transition temperature (T-g), and 99.24 degrees C in maximum thermal decomposition temperature (T-d). In addition, TOCN/PLT showed the highest adhesion strength of 42.52 +/- 1.64 MPa, excellent repetitive adhesion, and impressive solvent resistance. Notably, the adoption of the facile Pickering emulsion method over traditional solvent exchange techniques led to reduced environmental emissions and energy consumption, holding promising prospects for the more sustainable production of high-performance vegetable oil-based nanocomposites.