Ag-functionalized nanocrystalline cellulose for paper preservation and strengthening

Laura Bergamonti; Marianna Potenza; Azar Haghighi Poshtiri; Andrea Lorenzi; Anna Maria Sanangelantoni; Laura Lazzarini; Pier Paolo Lottici; Claudia Graiff

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115773

Ag-functionalized nanocrystalline cellulose for paper preservation and strengthening

Carbohydr Polym. 2020 Mar 1:231:115773. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115773. Epub 2019 Dec 20.

Authors

Laura Bergamonti¹, Marianna Potenza¹, Azar Haghighi Poshtiri², Andrea Lorenzi¹, Anna Maria Sanangelantoni¹, Laura Lazzarini³, Pier Paolo Lottici⁴, Claudia Graiff⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, Parma, Italy.
² Department of Wood Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
³ Istituto dei Materiali per l'Elettronica ed il Magnetismo, IMEM, Consiglio delle Ricerche, Parco Area delle Scienze 37/A, Parma, Italy.
⁴ Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 7/A, Parma, Italy.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: claudia.graiff@unipr.it.

PMID: 31888832
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115773

Abstract

Waste paper is an environmentally friendly source of cellulosic material. Here we propose a new treatment based on nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC) for paper preservation and consolidation. Suspensions of CNC were prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis using waste paper as cellulose source (CNC_WP) and compared with CNC from cotton linter (CNC_CL). Both CNCs were obtained with good yield, showing high crystallinity index and comparable morphology, as demonstrated by DLS-ELS, XRD, FTIR, Raman and TEM analyses. CNCs were mixed with silver nanoparticles (CNC/Ag) and their biocidal activity was tested against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration. CNCs were exploited as treatments for biocidal activity and consolidation on Whatman paper. The presence of silver nanoparticles doesn't affect aesthetic appearance of the original paper and prevents the growth of Aspergillus niger fungus. Mechanical tests demonstrated that the coatings by CNC based products improve stretch and toughness of the paper support.

Keywords: Biocidal activity; Crystalline nanocellulose; Paper protection; Paper strengthening; Silver nanoparticles; Waste paper.