Preparation of nanocrystalline cellulose from corncob used as reinforcement in separator for lithium ion battery

Cellulose is a natural polymer which is insoluble in water. Nanometer sized cellulose is known as nanocrystalline has a higher surface area than cellulose. Due to this property, it is more easily to be modified for various applications such as for reinforcing agent in lithium ion battery separator. Nanocrystalline cellulose was obtained by acid hydrolysis of cellulose. The cellulose used in this study was obtained by isolation of corncob, followed by hydrolyzed using H2SO4 50% at 45°C for 60 minutes. Nanocrystalline cellulose was then characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction. Based on PSA results, the nanocrystalline cellulose has an average diameter of 17,4 nm with a spherical morphology determined by SEM analysis. The analysis of X-Ray diffraction showed the crystallinity index of nanocrystalline cellulose was higher than isolated cellulose in the amount of 75%. The Impedance Spectrometry (IE) measurement showed that the ionic conductivity of PVA/LiClO4/nanocrystalline cellulose membrane is 1.66 × 10−4 S/cm. So, nanocrystalline cellulose has a potential to be used as a nanocomposite in polymer electrolyte membranes for lithium ion battery separator.