Patent ID: 8877338

Claim:
A method for preparing a composite, comprising the steps of: a. Preparing an acidic aqueous suspension of cellulose using an acid mixture of hydrochloric acid and an organic acid in the presence of intensive mixing such that hydrolysis of the cellulose leads to the formation of cellulose nanoparticles with one dimension in the size range from 1 to 100 nanometers and the organic acid reacts with the cellulose to produce surface-functionalized cellulose particles and then washing and drying the functionalized cellulose particles to produce cellulosic nanowhiskers; b. Adding to the cellulosic nanowhiskers produced from the surface-functionalized cellulose particles, (i) one or more of molten lactide, lactide solution, lactic acid, and lactic acid solution and optionally (ii) one or more of molten polylactide and polyactide solution to produce a mixture; and c. Subjecting the mixture to intensive mixing in one or more of a high intensity mixer and sonication bath such that the cellulosic nanowhiskers produced from the surface-functionalized cellulose particles are finely dispersed throughout the mixture to form a suspension; and d. Polymerizing the suspension of the mixture with the cellulosic nanowhiskers produced from the functionalized cellulose particles so as to covalently attach the cellulosic nanowhiskers with the mixture.