Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Sami M. El Awad Azrak, Jared A. Gohl, Robert J. Moon, Gregory T. Schueneman, Chelsea S. Davis, Jeffrey P. Youngblood
Summary: This study investigated the redispersion and setting behavior of highly loaded pastes of cellulose nanofibrils with carboxymethyl cellulose under different chemical treatments. Analysis using turbidity and FTIR showed significant effects of different treatments on the properties of nanofibril pastes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simon Schoelch, Jan-Lukas Schaefer, Tobias Meckel, Thomas Brandstetter, Markus Biesalski, Juergen Ruehe
Summary: The study introduces an alternative method to improve the wet strength of paper by using thermally cross-linked copolymers and investigates their effects on paper substrates. Results show that the method significantly increases the wet strength of paper, with modified samples showing tensile indices over 50 times higher compared to unmodified samples.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Iheoma Chigoziri Nwuzor, Jeremiah Lekwuwa Chukwuneke, Chinomso Macanthony Ewulonu, Paul Chukwulozie Okolie
Summary: A sheet-like nano-biocomposite consisting of expanded graphite nanoplatelets, cardanol thermosetting polymer resin, and cellulose nanofibrils was fabricated. The addition of expanded graphite significantly improved the mechanical and thermal properties of the nanobiocomposite, while reducing water absorption. The nanobiocomposite also showed enhanced flame repression, improved surface contact angle, and increased thermal conductivity. These properties make it suitable for coatings systems and automotive applications, where weight reduction and environmental impact are important factors.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Wanhee Im, Shin Young Park, Jegon Lee, Simyub Yook, Hak Lae Lee, Hye Jung Youn
Summary: An approach using PAE as a cross-linker was explored to improve the water resistance and wet strength of NFC films. Carboxymethylation of pulp fiber was conducted as a pretreatment to enhance the cross-linking reaction. The study found that the hydrophobicity and wet strength of NFC films were significantly increased.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yu Xue, Letian Qi, Zhaoyun Lin, Guihua Yang, Ming He, Jiachuan Chen
Summary: By adding cellulose nanofibrils and nanosilica, the surface structure of regenerated fibers is improved, and physical strength is enhanced. The mixture behaves as shear-thinning fluids at different temperatures, with viscosity and shear stress reducing as temperature increases.
Article
Polymer Science
David Seelinger, Markus Biesalski
Summary: A novel polymer gel system based on oxidized hydroxypropyl cellulose (keto-HPC) cross-linked with polyamines was investigated to develop sustainable wet strength agents for paper. The wet strength system significantly increased the paper's wet strength with low amounts of polymer, comparable to traditional wet strength agents based on fossil resources. The wet strength mechanism was analyzed, showing that the polymer distribution and molecular weight dependence play important roles in altering the paper's wet tensile strength.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Hui Chen, Tao Liu, Yue Li, Li Cai, Zhezhe Zhou, Sheldon Q. Shi, Shanshan Gong, Jianzhang Li
Summary: Green and sustainable biomass materials based on wood processing residues have great potential as substitutes for petroleum-based plastics. A high-performance bio-based plastic was successfully fabricated using a dual-crosslinking strategy of sodium lignosulfonate (LS) and epichlorohydrin (ECH) modification. The resulting TOLC-LS/ECH film exhibited exceptional tensile strength, thermal stability, water resistance, biodegradability, and mechanical stability. Compared to other sustainable bio-based plastics, this film combines low production cost, high mechanical properties, and excellent thermal stability, making it suitable for mulch, daily packaging, and other applications.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jingxuan Zhang, Jeffrey P. Youngblood
Summary: Food packaging is critical for extending the shelf life of foods. This study modified a previous method to fabricate a cellulose nanofiber and carboxymethyl cellulose paste as a coating material for molded pulp food trays. The coating showed improved mechanical properties and enhanced barrier properties against air and moisture. Oil and grease resistance testing demonstrated that the coated samples had better resistance. The study also found that the coating helped extend the shelf life of fruits during food storage.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Shunxi Song, Sheng Qiang, Jiantao Liang, Lin Li, Yujie Shi, Jingyi Nie, Ting Chen, Shuangquan Yao, Meiyun Zhang
Summary: PCC/CNF composites fabricated by co-refining process showed excellent size stability and enhanced interfacial interaction between cellulosic fibers and fillers.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xiaokun Shi, Zhiping Chen, Yonghui He, Qin Lu, Rimei Chen, Chao Zhao, Die Dong, Yupei Sun, Hui He
Summary: A novel wound dressing with rapid hemostasis and antibacterial activity has been developed, which can achieve dual response through white light and NIR irradiation. The dressing exhibits excellent biocompatibility and has promising applications in first-aid hemostasis and wound healing.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaopeng Yue, Wenhuan Deng, Zhiguo Zhou, Yang Xu, Jiachen He, Zhiwei Wang
Summary: The study fabricated a flame-retarded and reinforced cellulose aerogel using a double cross-linking strategy. The double cross-linked aerogel exhibited improved mechanical performance, excellent flame-resistant properties, and low thermal conductivity, making it suitable for various applications.
JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sina Gholami, Alireza Rezvani, Vahid Vatanpour, Seyyed Hossein Khoshravesh, Joan Llorens, Elisabeth Engel, Oscar Castano, Jose Luis Cortina
Summary: Researchers successfully improved the chlorine resistance and performance of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes by adding m-phenylenediamine (MPD) chemical structure in thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. The modified TFN-RO membranes demonstrated higher ion selectivity, water flux, salt rejection stability, and antifouling performance. The membranes were able to withstand rigorous chlorine exposure of 500 ppm.h with only 5 L/m2.h flux loss.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pingdong Wei, Xuejie Yu, Yujia Fang, Lei Wang, Hao Zhang, Caizhen Zhu, Jie Cai
Summary: This article proposes a strategy to produce a hierarchically structured cellulose hydrogel through solution annealing and dual cross-linking treatment approaches. The cellulose hydrogels exhibit high water content and excellent mechanical properties, making them promising candidates for flexible electronics and biomedical devices.
Article
Polymer Science
Shuai Zhang, Ao Yang, Junwen Ren, Yu Liu, Rui Han
Summary: In this study, a thermosetting resin was used to prepare hydrogels with high compressive strength and responsiveness. The addition of conductive and magnetic fillers resulted in composite hydrogels with good electromagnetic shielding performance.
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Haoyue Liu, Hiroyuki Yano, Kentaro Abe
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) addition on the mechanical properties of paper sheets. In the dry state, the Young's modulus and tensile strength increased with increasing CNF addition, but the dry specific Young's modulus remained constant. In the wet state, the wet tensile strength increased linearly with CNF addition up to 50%, followed by a slight decline, while the wet strength retention reached its maximum at 40% CNF addition.
