Search results for "cellulose"

Graphene Oxide Carboxymethylcellulose Nanocomposite for Dressing Materials.

2020

Sore, infected wounds are a major clinical issue, and there is thus an urgent need for novel biomaterials as multifunctional constituents for dressings. A set of biocomposites was prepared by solvent casting using different concentrations of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and exfoliated graphene oxide (Exf-GO) as a filler. Exf-GO was first obtained by the strong oxidation and exfoliation of graphite. The structural, morphological and mechanical properties of the composites (CMCx/Exf-GO) were evaluated, and the obtained composites were homogenous, transparent and brownish in color. The results confirmed that Exf-GO may be homogeneously dispersed in CMC. It was found that the composite has an i…

Use of micro-tomography for validation of method to identify interfacial shear strength from tensile tests of short regenerated cellulose fibre compo…

2016

The interfacial shear strength of short regenerated cellulose fibre/polylactide composites was characterized by means of an industry-friendly adhesion test method. The interfacial shear strength was back-calculated from the experimental tensile stress-strain curves of composites by using a micro-mechanical model. The parameters characterizing the microstructure of the composites, e.g. fibre length and orientation distributions, used as input in the model were obtained by micro-tomography. The investigation was carried out on composites with untreated and surface treated fibres with various fibre weight contents (5wt%, 10wt%, and 15wt% for untreated fibres, and 15wt% for treated fibres). The…

2019

TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TCNFs) have unique properties, which can be utilised in many application fields from printed electronics to packaging. Visual characterisation of TCNFs has been commonly performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). However, a novel imaging technique, Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM), offers benefits over SEM, including higher resolution and the possibility of imaging non-conductive samples uncoated. HIM has not been widely utilized so far, and in this study the capability of HIM for imaging of TCNFs was evaluated. Freeze drying and critical point drying (CPD) techniques were applied to preserve the open fibril structure of the gel-like TCNFs. Both dry…

Preparation of cholesteric particles from cellulose derivatives in a microfluidic setup

2011

A microfluidic setup was used to process lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystalline mixtures of cellulose derivatives into spherical particles in the micrometre scale. By the method of co-flowing injection, monodisperse droplets of the liquid crystal, dispersed in an aqueous carrier fluid, were prepared. Polymerization of the acrylic solvent with UV-light fixed the orientation obtained by the flowing motion. The resulting particles were characterized by polarizing optical microscopy.

Sorption properties of torrefied wood and charcoal

2014

AbstractPre-treating biomass by torrefaction is assumed to improve the material's storage properties because of reducing hydrophilicity. In order to assess the effect of sorption on storage properties, the adsorption of water vapour and capillary absorption of liquid water in torrefied and charred spruce and birch were studied. In addition, the chemical changes were evaluated through Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Adsorption decreased notably as severity of treatment increased, as was expected due to degradation of the wood constituents, namely hemicelluloses and amorphous cellulose. Capillary absorption increased with increasing severity in spruce samples while birch show…

Green Nanocomposites-Based on PLA and Natural Organic Fillers

2017

Over the past decades, many efforts have been carried out for the development of novel green nanocomposites based on biopolymers and natural organic nanofillers. Indeed, these nanocomposites could replace some oil-derived polymers and thus helping to overcome environmental problems. In this regard, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) as matrix and polysaccharide nanocrystals (cellulose, chitin, and starch) as bio-based nanoreinforcements are the most promising components to obtain high-performance green nanocomposites. This chapter covers the basic features of PLA and polysaccharide nanocrystals derived from biomass-based raw materials such as cellulose, chitin, and starch. In particular, this chapter…

Scalable manufacturing of fibrous nanocomposites for multifunctional liquid sensing

2021

This research is supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Program (No. 1927623) from the National Science Foundation and by the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program (No. 1020630) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The authors also thank WestRock Paper Company for donated the wood pulp used in this research. Open access funding is enabled and organized by CERN. Cellulose-based paper electronics is an attractive technology to meet the growing demands for naturally abundant, biocompatible, biodegradable, flexible, inexpensive, lightweight and highly miniaturizable sensory materials. The price reduction of industrial carbon nanotube (CNT) grades offers op…

Development of self-assembled bacterial cellulose–starch nanocomposites

2009

Abstract A bioinspired bottom-up process was developed to produce self-assembled nanocomposites of cellulose synthesized by Acetobacter bacteria and native starch. This process takes advantage of the way some bacteria extrude cellulose nanofibres and of the transport process that occurs during the gelatinization of starch. Potato and corn starch were added into the culture medium and partially gelatinized in order to allow the cellulose nanofibrils to grow in the presence of a starch phase. The bacterial cellulose (BC)–starch gels were hot pressed into sheets that had a BC volume fraction higher than 90%. During this step starch was forced to further penetrate the BC network. The self-assem…

Carboxymethylation of alkali extracted xylan for preparation of bio-based packaging films

2012

This study describes the synthesis of carboxymethylxylan (CMX) and investigates its suitability as a film for packaging applications. High-purity polymeric xylan was extracted from commercial bleached birch kraft pulp and converted to CMX with three different degrees of substitution (DSs). The water vapor sorption, mechanical, and barrier properties of the films prepared from CMX were tested. Increasing DS of CMX films resulted in an increase in elongation at break and a decrease in tensile strength and Young's modulus. The DS also affected the barrier properties of the films. CMX films with higher DS showed improved (reduced) oxygen permeability (OP), and the water vapor permeability (WVP)…

Processing-structure-property relationships of electrospun PLA-PEO membranes reinforced with enzymatic cellulose nanofibers

2020

Abstract Three different solvent mixtures were used to prepare electrospun membranes based on polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and enzymatic cellulose nanofibers (CNF). The materials were characterized from a morphological, spectroscopic, mechanical and rheological point of view. Furthermore, swelling test were performed in order to assess the water uptake of each sample. The results put into evidence that the choice of the solvents affects the structure and the properties of the membranes. Among the protocols tested, using chloroform/acetone/ethanol mixture was found to allow a high degree of CNF dispersion and a good electrospinnability of polymer solutions. These features …