Synthesis and Characterization of Storage Energy Materials Prepared from Nano-crystalline Cellulose/Polyethylene Glycol

This paper gives a brief report of the synthesis of a new kind of solid-solid phase change materials （SSPCMs）, nano-crystalline cellulose/polyethylene glycol （NCC/PEG）. These PCMs have very high ability for energy storage, and their enthalpies reach 103.8 J/g. They are composed of two parts, PEG as functional branches for energy storage, and NCC as skeleton. The flexible polymer PEG was grafted onto the surface of rigid powder of NCC by covalent bonds. The results of DSC, FT-IR were briefly introduced, and some comments were also given.

Synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose/organic montmorillonite nanocomposites and its adsorption behavior for Congo Red dye

A series of carboxymethyl cellulose/organic montmorillonite （CMC/OMMT） nanocomposites with different weight ratios of carboxymethyl cellulose （CMC） to organic montmorillonite （OMMT） were synthesized under different conditions. The nanocomposites were characterized by the Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction （XRD） method, transmission electron microscope （TEM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, and thermal gravimetric （TG） analysis. The results showed that the introduction of CMC may have different influences on the physico-chemical properties of OMMT and intercalated-exfoliated nanostructures were formed in the nanocomposites. The effects of different reaction conditions on the adsorption capacity of samples for Congo Red （CR） dye were investigated by controlling the amount ofhexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB）, the weight ratio of CMC to OMMT, the reaction time, and the reaction temperature. Results from the adsorption experiment showed that the adsorption capacity of the nanocomposites can reach 171.37 rag/g, with the amount of CTAB being 1.0 cation exchange capacity （CEC） of MMT, the weight ratio of CMC to OMMT being l：l, the reaction time being 6 h, and the reaction temperature being 60~C. The CMC/OMMT nanocomposite can be used as a potential adsorbent to remove CR dye from an aqueous solution.

Green Modification of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Their Reinforcement in Nanocomposites of Polylactic Acid

Cellulose nanocrystals （CNCs） of rod-like shape were prepared from degreased cotton using sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The obtained CNC suspension was neutralized using a sodium hydroxide solution to remove the residual sulfuric acid and improve the thermal stability of the CNC particles. Then, poly（ethylene oxide） （PEO） was employed to modify the nanocrystals through entanglement and physical adsorption. The goal was to further improve the thermal stability and weaken the hydrophilicity of CNCs. Original and modifed CNCs were dosed into a polylactic acid （PLA） matrix to prepare nanocomposites using a hot compression process. Results of the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the initial thermal decomposition temperature of the modifed CNCs showed a 120℃ improvement compared to the original CNCs. That is, the thermal stability of the modified CNCs improved because of their shielding and wrapping by a PEO layer on their surface. Results from scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry showed that the compatibility of the modifed CNCs with organic PLA improved, which was attributed to the compatibility of the PEO chains adsorbed on the surface of the CNCs. Finally, the results of tensile tests indicated a significant improvement in terms of breaking strength and elongation at the break point.

Reinforcement of Lignin-Based Phenol-Formaldehyde Adhesive with Nano-Crystalline Cellulose (NCC): Curing Behavior and Bonding Property of Plywood

The curing behavior of lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resin with different contents of nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20&degC/min) and the bonding property was evaluated by the wet shear strength and wood failure of two-ply plywood panels after soaking in water (48 hours at room temperature and followed by 1-hour boiling). The test results indicated that the NCC content had little influence on the peak temperature, activation energy and the total heat of reaction of LPF resin at 5 and 10&degC/min. But at 20&degC/min, LPF0.00% (LPF resin without NCC) showed the highest total heat of reaction, while LPF0.25% (LPF resin containing 0.25% NCC content) and LPF0.50% (LPF resin containing 0.50% NCC content) gave the lowest value. The wet shear strength was affected by the NCC content to a certain extent. With regard to the results of one-way analysis of variance, the bonding quality could be improved by NCC and the optimum NCC content ranged from 0.25% to 0.50%. The wood failure was also affected by the NCC content, but the trend with respect to NCC content was not clear.

Size Effects of Nano-crystalline Cellulose

Natural cellulose with the crystal form of cellulose Ⅰ, when treated with condensed lye (e.g. 18%NaOH), can change into new crystal form of cellulose Ⅱ. But the nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) can do it when only treated with dilute lye (e.g. 1%NaOH) at room temperature and even can dissolve into slightly concentrated lye (e.g. 4%NaOH).

The Application of Cellulose Nanocrystals Modified with Succinic Anhydride under the Microwave Irradiation for Preparation of Polylactic Acid Nanocomposites

The aim of this work was to use cellulose nanocrystals that were obtained by hydrolysis in phosphoric acid solution and further modified with succinic anhydride in the microwave field for PLA reinforcement.A series of allbionanocomposites containing unmodified and surface modified cellulose nanocrystals with CNC content in the range of 1–3%_(w.t.) were obtained by melt blending and tested by XRD,SEM,DSC and DMA to investigate the effect of surface esterification of CNCs on the structure,morphology,dynamic mechanical properties of bionanocomposites,as well as phase transitions of PLA in the presence of cellulosic nanofiller.DMA investigations showed the highest increase of storage modulus by ca.7%(335 MPa at 25℃)in the glassy state of PLA for 2%_(w.t.)of unmodified CNC.Though,addition of 2%_(w.t.)of succinylated CNCs caused the highest increase of the onset of glass transition temperature(by 6.2℃)thus widening the temperature range of biocomposite application.The increase of glass transition temperature indicates the strongest interfacial interactions due to improved miscibility of surface modified nanocrystals and thus good dispersion of additive in PLA matrix providing high interface.

Synergistic Effect of Halloyosite Nanotube and Nanocellulose on Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(Ethylmethacrylate-co-Acrylonitrile)Bionanocomposites

This work reports a comprehensive study on poly(Ethylmethacrylateco-Acrylonitrile)Poly(EMA-AN)nanocomposites reinforced with a hybrid mixture of nanoreiforcements based on nanocrystals of cellulose(NCC)(1 or 5%wt)and halloysite nanotubes(HNTs)(1 or 5%wt).The morphology,thermal and mechanical properties of these nanocomposites were characterized.Homogeneous dispersion of the nanofillers has been shown by scanning electron microscopy.A significant increase of the rubbery modulus and glass transition temperature were obtained upon filler addition,due to the reduction of mobility of the matrix macromolecular chains.On the other hand,compared with the neat Poly(EMAAN),the storage modulus of the nanocomposites increased by a factor 38 when adding 5 wt%NCC and by 17 for the same concentration of HNTs.mechanical properties of ternary nanocomposites were furthers increased resulting from a synergistic effect of these two nanofillers.

Green Nanocomposites Made With Polyvinyl Alcohol and Cellulose Nanofibers Isolated From Recycled Paper

This paper reports green nanocomposites made by blending polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)with cellulose nanofiber(CNF)isolated from recycled deinked copy/printing paper(DIP).The reinforcement effect of DIPCNF in the nanocomposites is compared with other CNFs isolated from native cotton and hardwood by means of TEMPO-oxidation.The prepared PVA-CNF nanocomposites are characterized in terms of morphology,chemical interaction,structural,thermal and mechanical properties.X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm the reinforcing ability of cellulose nanofibers into PVA.By blending CNFs into PVA matrix,the thermal stability of the nanocomposites is improved and DIPCNF shows similar enhancement effect with COCNF and HWCNF.The prepared nanocomposites exhibit 50%Young’s modulus improvement by adding 6%of CNF and DIPCNF exhibits similar enhancement of the mechanical properties to COCNF and HWCNF in the nanocomposites.This indicates that the use of DIPCNF is beneficial for environment protection,resource retaining and save energy in comparison with COCNF and HWCNF.

The Use of Cellulose Nanofillers in Obtaining Polymer Nanocomposites: Properties, Processing, and Applications

In recent years, several studies have been performed using nanocellulose as a component in polymeric nanocomposites. The interest in studying cellulose-based nanocomposite is due to the abundance, renewable nature, and outstanding mechanical properties of this nanoparticle. However, obtaining nanocomposites based on nanocellulose, with optimal properties, requires good nanoparticle dispersion in the polymeric matrix. The chemical compatibility between nanofiller and polymer plays a major role in both the dispersion of particles in the matrix and the adhesion between these phases. The aim of this review is to present the fundamental concepts about nanocellulose, such as its structural aspects, production methods and current trends in classification, and the main aspects about cellulose-based nanocomposites, including the progress that has been reached in relation to their compatibilization, production, final properties and potential applications.

High Oxygen Nanocomposite Barrier Films Based on Xylan and Nanocrystalline Cellulose

The goal of this work is to produce nanocomposite film with low oxygen permeability by casting an aqueous solution containing xylan,sorbitol and nanocrystalline cellulose.The morphology of the resulting nanocomposite films was examined by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy which showed that control films containing xylan and sorbitol had a more open structure as compared to xylan-sorbitol films containing sulfonated nanocrystalline cellulose.The average pore diameter,bulk density,porosity and tortuosity factor measurements of control xylan films and nanocomposite xylan films were examined by mercury intrusion porosimetry techniques.Xylan films reinforced with nanocrystalline cellulose were denser and exhibited higher tortuosity factor than the control xylan films.Control xylan films had average pore diameter,bulk density,porosity and tortuosity factor of 0.1730 μm,0.6165 g/ml,53.0161% and 1.258,respectively as compared to xylan films reinforced with 50% nanocrystalline cellulose with average pore diameter of 0.0581 μm,bulk density of 1.1513 g/ml,porosity of 22.8906% and tortuosity factor of 2.005.Oxygen transmission rate tests demonstrated that films prepared with xylan,sorbitol and 5%,10%,25% and 50% sulfonated nanocrystalline cellulose exhibited a significantly reduced oxygen permeability of 1.1387,1.0933,0.8986 and 0.1799 cm^3×μm/m^2×d×k Pa respectively with respect to films prepared solely from xylan and sorbitol with a oxygen permeability of 189.1665 cm^3×μm/m^2×d×k Pa.These properties suggested these nanocomposite films have promising barrier properties.

Regulating the Function of Nanocomposite Made from Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose with Bacterial Cellulose Nanocrystal

Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose(HPMC)-based hybrid nanocomposites reinforced with bacterial cellulose nanocrystals(BCNC) were prepared and characterized.The HPMC nanocomposites exhibited good thermal stability,with a thermogravimetric peak temperature of around 346℃.The addition of BCNC did not significantly affect the thermal degradation temperature or improve the transparency of HPMC nanocomposites.However,the addition of BCNC favorably affected the light scattering properties of the nanocomposites and enhanced mechanical properties such as tensile stress and Young's modulus from 65 MPa and 1.5 GPa up to 139 MPa and 3.2 GPa,respectively.The oxygen permeability of the HPMC nanocomposites also increased with increase in the amount of BCNC added.

Electro-conductive Nanocrystalline Cellulose Film Filled with TiO_2-ReducedGraphene Oxide Nanocomposite

Imparting electro-conductive properties to nanocellulose-based products may render them suitable for applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and energy storage devices. In the present work, an electro-conductive nanocrystalline cellulose （NCC） film filled with TiO2-reduced-graphene oxide （TiO2-RGO） was developed. Initially, graphene oxide （GO） was prepared using the modified Hummers method and thereafter photocatalytically reduced using TiO2 as a catalyst. Subsequently, an electro-conductive NCC film was prepared via vacuum filtration with the as-prepared TiO2-RGO nanocomposite as a functional filler. The TiO2-RGO nanocomposite and the NCC/TiO2-RGO film were systematically characterized. The results showed that the obtained TiO2-RGO nanocomposite exhibited reduced oxygen-containing group content and enhanced electro-conductivity as compared with those of GO. Moreover, the NCC flm flled with TiO2-RGO nanocomposite displayed an electro-conductivity of up to 9.3 S/m and improved mechanical properties compared with that of the control. This work could provide a route for producing electro-conductive NCC flms, which may hold signifcant potential as transparent ？exible substrates for future electronic device applications.

Synthesis and Characterization of New Biodegradable Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol/Cellulose Nanocomposite

In this report, a new nanocomposite based on chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/nanocrystalline cellulose (Cts/PVA/NCC) was synthesized. The morphology and particle size of NCC and nanocomposites were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. According to XRD results, the size of NCC was found to be at the range of 15 - 17 nm. SEM images showed the rod-like shape of NCC whiskers. Finally, biodegradation and swelling studies were performed on Cts/PVA/NCC nanocomposites.

Rigid polyurethane foam reinforced with cellulosewhiskers: Synthesis and characterization

A novel nanocomposite of rigid polyurethane foam was prepared by the polymerization of a sucrose-based polyol, a glycerol-based polyol and polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate in the presence of cellulose whiskers. The cell morphology of the resulting foams was examined by scanning electron microscopy which showed both the pure foam and the nanocomposite foam had homogeneous cell dispersion and uniform cell size of approximately 200 μm. Analysis of the foams by Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy indicated that both samples exhibited signals attributed to the polyurethane including the NH stretching and bending vibrations at 3320 cm^(-1) and 1530 cm^(-1), the OC=O vibration at 1730 cm^(-1) and the CO-NH vibration at 1600 cm^(-1). FT-IR analysis of the nanocomposite indicated that cellulose whiskers were crosslinked with the polyurethane matrix as the signal intensity of the OH stretch at 3500 cm^(-1) was significantly reduced in comparison to the spectral data acquired for a control sample prepared from the pure polyurethane foam mixed with cellulose whiskers. According to ASTM standard testing procedures, the tensile modulus, tensile strength and yield strength of the nanocomposite foam were found to be improved by 36.8%, 13.8% and 15.2%, and the compressive modulus and strength were enhanced by 179.9% and 143.4%, respectively. Dynamic mechanical analysis results testified the improvements of mechanical properties and showed a better thermal stability of the nanocomposite foam.

Layer-by-Layer Assembled Bacterial Cellulose/Graphene Oxide Hydrogels with Extremely Enhanced Mechanical Properties

Uniform dispersion of two-dimensional(2 D) graphene materials in polymer matrices remains challenging. In this work, a novel layer-by-layer assembly strategy was developed to prepare a sophisticated nanostructure with highly dispersed 2 D graphene oxide in a three-dimensional matrix consisting of onedimensional bacterial cellulose(BC) nanofibers. This method is a breakthrough, with respect to the conventional static culture method for BC that involves multiple in situ layer-by-layer assembly steps at the interface between previously grown BC and the culture medium. In the as-prepared BC/GO nanocomposites, the GO nanosheets are mechanically bundled and chemically bonded with BC nanofibers via hydrogen bonding,forming an intriguing nanostructure. The sophisticated nanostructure of the BC/GO leads to greatly enhanced mechanical properties compared to those of bare BC. This strategy is versatile, facile, scalable, and can be promising for the development of high-performance BC-based nanocomposite hydrogels.

Homogeneous modification of carbon nanotubes with cellulose acetate

An efficient strategy that comprised shorten, chain extension, active groups introducing and homogeneous reaction tactics, was adopted to modify multiwalled carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） with cellulose acetate （CA）. Specially, by utilizing 2,4,6-trichloro- 1,3,5-triazine, a reactive intermediate of the MWNTs （MWNT-triazine） was obtained. Suitable solubility of the MWNT-triazine helps make the homogeneous modification become reality. Detailed characterizations further verified that reaction between chloride atoms in the MWNT-triazine and hydroxyl groups in the CA had contributed to the formation of MWNT-CA conjugates. The novel MWNT-CA consists of carbon （76.3%）, oxygen （18.4%） and nitrogen （5.3%）. With a nanotube-attached CA content of 42.8 wt%, the MWNT-CA is readily soluble in DMSO, NMP, DMF and DMAc. Confirmation of the CA-based modification route might lead to studies aiming for specific sorption and isolation.

Natural ECM-Bacterial Cellulose Wound Healing—Dubai Study

Bacterial cellulose (BC) can be used in wide area of applied scientific, especially for tissue regeneration and regenerative medicine, lately, bacterial cellulose mats are used in the treatment of skin conditions such as burns and ulcers, because of the morphology of fibrous biopolymers serving as a support for cell proliferation, its pores allow gas exchange between the organism and the environment. Moreover, the nanostructure and morphological similarities with collagen make BC attractive for cell immobilization, cell support and Natural Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Scaffolds. In this scope, Natural ECM is the ideal biological scaffold since it contains all the components of the tissue. The development of mimicking biomaterials and hybrid biomaterial can further advance directed cellular differentiation without specific induction. The extracellular matrix (ECM) contains several signals that are received by cell surface receptors and contribute to cell adhesion and cell fate which control cellular activities such as proliferation, migration and differentiation. As such, regenerative medicine studies often rely on mimicking the natural ECM to promote the formation of new tissue by host cells, and characterization of natural ECM components is vital for the development of new biomimetic approaches. In this work, the bacterial cellulose fermentation process is modified by the addition of vegetal stem cell to the culture medium and natural materials before the bacteria are inoculated. In vivo behavior using natural ECM for regenerative medicine is presented.

Isolation of Thermally Stable Cellulose Nanocrystals from Spent Coffee Grounds via Phosphoric Acid Hydrolysis

As the world's population exponentially grows,so does the need for the production of food,with cereal production growing annually from an estimated 1.0 billion to 2.5 billion tons within the last few decades.This rapid growth in food production results in an ever increasing amount of agricultural wastes,of which already occupies nearly 50%of the total landfill area.For example,is the billions of dry tons of cellulose-containing spent coffee grounds disposed in landfills annually.This paper seeks to provide a method for isolating cellulose nanocrystals(CNCs)from spent coffee grounds,in order to recycle and utilize the cellulosic waste material which would otherwise have no applications.CNCs have already been shown to have vast applications in the polymer engineering field,mainly utilized for their high strength to weight ratio for reinforcement of polymer-based nanocomposites.A successful method of purifying and hydrolyzing the spent coffee grounds in order to isolate usable CNCs was established.The CNCs were then characterized using current techniques to determine important chemical and physical properties.A few crucial properties determined were aspect ratio of 12±3,crystallinity of 74.2%,surface charge density of(48.4±6.2)mM/kg cellulose,and the ability to successfully reinforce a polymer based nanocomposite.These characteristics compare well to other literature data and common commercial sources of CNCs.

Study of Nanoskin ECM-Bacterial Cellulose Wound Healing/United Arab Emirates

Natural extracellular matrices (ECMs) perform the tasks necessary for tissue formation, maintenance, regulation and function, providing a powerful means of controlling the biological performance of regenerative materials. In addition, biomedical materials have claimed attention because of the increased interest in tissue engineering materials for wound care and regenerative medicine. Moreover, the nanostructure and morphological similarities with collagen make BC attractive for cell immobilization, cell support and Natural Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Scaffolds. In this work, we present the extracellular matrix (ECM) using the bacterial cellulose (Nanoskin®) which regulates cell behavior by influencing cell proliferation, survival, shape, migration and differentiation. Bacterial cellulose fermentation process is modified before the bacteria are inoculated for mimicking ECM to cells support and built new local material for wound healing. Chemical groups influences and thermal behavior in bacterial cellulose were analyzed using transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Besides, In vivo analysis was evaluated with clinical study at Sharjah Kuwait Hospital.