Preparation and characterization of multifunctional cellulose-based films modified with hyperbranched polysiloxanes

Cellulose-based materials, as a type of biodegradable material, are expected to replace traditional plastics and improve environmental pollution issues. However, the poor mechanical, flame retardant, and piezoelectric properties of cellulose-based materials limit their application scope. Therefore, it is particularly important to modify cellulose-based films. This paper utilized hyperbranched polysiloxane (HBPSi) to modify bacterial cellulose-based films (BCF), and characterized the modified BCF before and after modification through SEM, FTIR, TGA, SEM-EDS, tensile, fluorescence, flame retardancy, piezoelectricity and soil degradation tests. The research shows that HBPSi has a good modification effect on the BCF, and various properties of the modified BCF have been improved, especially the flame retardancy and piezoelectric properties. The oxygen index of the unmodified BCF was 38, and the maximum short-circuit current was 22.4 μA. However, after being modified with 5 wt% HBPSi, the oxygen index of the BCF reached 66.8, and the maximum short-circuit increased to 361.4 μA. Moreover, the modified BCF was environmentally friendly and pollution-free, capable of complete degradation in natural environments. These advantages present a good prospect in the fields such as green packaging and electronic devices.