Controlling the nanocellulose morphology by preparation conditions

Yungeng Qi; Shihao Wang; Afroza Akter Liza; Jimin Li; Guihua Yang; Wenyuan Zhu; Junlong Song; Huining Xiao; Haiming Li; Jiaqi Guo

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121146

Controlling the nanocellulose morphology by preparation conditions

Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Nov 1:319:121146. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121146. Epub 2023 Jun 24.

Authors

Yungeng Qi¹, Shihao Wang², Afroza Akter Liza², Jimin Li², Guihua Yang³, Wenyuan Zhu², Junlong Song², Huining Xiao⁴, Haiming Li⁵, Jiaqi Guo⁶

Affiliations

¹ Liaoning Key Laboratory of Lignocellulose Chemistry and BioMaterials, Liaoning Collaborative Innovation Center for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, School of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
² Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353, China.
⁴ Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5A3, Canada.
⁵ Liaoning Key Laboratory of Lignocellulose Chemistry and BioMaterials, Liaoning Collaborative Innovation Center for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, School of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China. Electronic address: charley1114@163.com.
⁶ Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353, China. Electronic address: jiaqi.guo@njfu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37567702
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121146

Abstract

Nanocellulose (NC) is the desired building block for novel biomaterials. The morphology of NC is one of the core parameters impacting the functionality and property of engineered functional materials. This work aims to reveal the relationship between the product morphology and sulfuric acid hydrolysis conditions (including acid concentration, temperature and time), and to realize morphological regulation of obtained NC. Three representative products were obtained from microcrystalline cellulose via sulfuric acid hydrolysis, which are cellulose nanocrystals with broad size distribution (W-CNC, 383.9 ± 131.7 nm in length, 6 ± 2.1 nm in height) obtained by 61 % H₂SO₄, 55 °C and 90 min, cellulose nanospheres (CNS, 61.3 ± 15.9 nm in diameter) obtained by 64 % H₂SO₄, 35 °C and 75 min, and CNC with narrow size distribution (N-CNC, 276.1 ± 28.7 nm in length, 4.1 ± 0.6 nm in height), obtained by 64 % H₂SO₄, 45 °C and 45 min. The results showed that the crystallographic form of W-CNC and N-CNC are cellulose I, while cellulose I and II coexist in CNS. Only W-CNC and N-CNC can form chiral nematic structures through evaporation-induced self-assembly strategy and reflected light with specific wavelengths. In addition, the formation mechanism of CNS with cellulose I/II was proposed, which provided a better understanding of NC morphology regulation.

Keywords: Cellulose nanocrystals; Crystalline structure; Liquid crystals; Structural color; Sulfuric acid hydrolysis.