Frost-resistant nanocellulose-based organohydrogel with high mechanical strength and transparency

Zifei Yan; Shan Jiang; Jianfeng Xi; Wenjie Ye; Liucheng Meng; Huining Xiao; Weibing Wu

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.002

Frost-resistant nanocellulose-based organohydrogel with high mechanical strength and transparency

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 May:661:879-887. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.002. Epub 2024 Feb 6.

Authors

Zifei Yan¹, Shan Jiang¹, Jianfeng Xi², Wenjie Ye¹, Liucheng Meng¹, Huining Xiao³, Weibing Wu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of 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 of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: xijianfeng@njfu.edu.cn.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada.
⁴ Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: wbwu@njfu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38330660
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.002

Abstract

Improving mechanical strength and frost-resistance is an important research direction in the field of hydrogel materials. Herein, using bacterial nanocellulose (BC) as a reinforcing agent and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a polymer matrix, a frost-resistant organohydrogel was constructed via the freezing-thawing method in a new binary solvent system of N, N-dimethylformamide and water (DMF-H₂O), which was designed according to the Hansen Solubility Parameter. Owing to the solvent-induced crystallization effect that led to the enhanced 3D hydrogen bonding network during the freezing-thawing process, the optimal organohydrogel achieved excellent mechanical properties with the tensile strength of 2,974 kPa and the stretchability of 277 % at room temperature, respectively. In the visiblelight range, the organohydrogel demonstrated high transmittance. Moreover, the presence of a DMF-H₂O binary solvent endows it with frost-resistance, retaining the tensile strength of 508 kPa and a stretchability of 190 % even at -70 °C, respectively. This kind of transparent, frost-resistant organohydrogel has potential uses in harsh settings due to its great mechanical strength.

Keywords: Antifreeze; Hansen Solubility Parameter; Nanocellulose; Organohydrogel.