Available online www.ejaet.com European Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology, 2015, 2(3): 76-83 Research Article ISSN: 2394 - 658X 76 Na-Carboxmethylecellulose Properties Affected by Nanoparticles in Different Shape and Weight Percentages Prakash Sarkar Materials Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India -560012 praksjumet@gmail.com _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Na-carboxymethylcellulose (cmc) is biopolymer that offers immense structural possibilities for chemical and mechanical modifications to generate novel properties, functions and applications especially in biomedical area. In this work films fabricated from cmc incorporated with plasticizer at different weight ratios were prepared. This was carried out by employing a solvent-casting method incorporating halloysite nanoclay (nanotube) and silica nanoparticle (spherical) into the films. Scanning Electron Micrographs showed that nanoparticles were dispersed homogeneously throughout the polymer matrix in all of the cmc-nanocomposite films; tensile test showed that the mechanical strength of the films increased with increasing nanoparticle concentration. It was observed from the thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) results that there is no significant variation in the thermal degradation temperature of the films with the addition of the nanoparticles. The hydrophilicity increased with the addition of nanoparticles, as seen from the contact angle, moisture content and water solubility results. Key words: Na-carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), glycerol, halloysite nanoclay, silica nanoparticles _____________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Glucose unit in the cellulose chain has three hydroxyl groups, each of which is capable of hydrogen bonding to an adjacent molecule. Because of the abundance of hydroxyl groups, and their ability to hydrogen bond to a neighboring molecule, the chains are bound tightly together. Water molecules, at any temperature, cannot force their way in between the chains to hydrate them, thus cellulose is water insoluble. Na-carboxymethylcellulose is an anionic water-soluble polymer derived from cellulose. Due to its innocuousness, it is used as a stabilizer, binder, thickener, for suspension and as water retaining agent in food industry, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paper, and other industrial areas [1 and 2]. In recent years, polymer–nanoparticle composite materials have attracted the interest of a number of researchers, due to their synergistic and hybrid properties derived from several components. Whether in solution or in bulk these materials are offer unique mechanical [3], electrical [4], optical [5 and 6] and thermal properties [3-6]. Such enhancements are induced by the physical presence of the nanoparticles and by the interaction of the polymer with the particle and the state of dispersion [3 and 7]. In this work, the nanocomposite films are consisting of inorganic halloysite nanoclay (nanotubes), silica nanoparticle (spherical) and organic polymer as Na-carboxymethylcellulose (water soluble) and glycerol as the plasticizer. MATERIAL AND METHODS Na-Carboxymethylcellulose (cmc) In where cellulose molecule have glucose unit in the cellulose chain has three hydroxyl groups, each of which is capable of hydrogen bonding to an adjacent molecule and cellulose connected together in a long, linear chain. Manufacture of cmc from cellulose by following: Step (one) R-OH + NaOH = R-ONa + H 2 O Step (two) R-ONa +Cl-CH 2 -COONa = R-O-CH 2 -COONa The above reaction is for the manufacture of cmc. It is essentially a two-step process. In the first step, cellulose is suspended in alkali to open the bound cellulose chains, allowing water to enter. Once this happens, the cellulose is then reacted with sodium monochloroacetate to yield Na-carboxymethylcellulose [8].