Earlier this past month (Aug. 2018) the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (Riga, Latvia) conducted a study published in Key Engineering Materials titled Evaluation of the Apparent Interfacial Shear Strength of Nanocellulose/PVA Composites. The online research publication index uploaded information to Scientific.net that included the research team's abstract and a preview of the research report. 

According to the Latvian State Institute, nanocellulose in the form of "whiskers" and other similar nanofibers has become a promising reinforcement material for polymer composites due to its high mechanical characteristics and sustainability. For optimization of composite properties, efficient means of the stress transfer between fibrous nanofiller and the polymer matrix are needed. In the current study, the apparent interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of cellulose nanofiber/PVA is evaluated by a modified Bowyer and Bader method based on an analysis of the stress–strain curve of a composite film in uniaxial tension. The IFSS is found to exceed shear yield strength of the neat polymer, suggesting good adhesion. 

Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) are a promising reinforcement for the polymer matrix due to theri high specific mechanical characteristics and aspect ratio accompanied by the possibility of sustainable production. With nanocellulose increasingly being used as a reinforcing material in solid polymers and polymer foams the promising design formation becomes an even more relevant set of properties so as to understand and commercially apply the full strength potential of nanocelluloid-polymers.