Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Dec 12;6(1):626.
doi: 10.1186/1556-276X-6-626.

Cross-linking cellulose nanofibrils for potential elastic cryo-structured gels

Kristin Syverud  1 , Harald Kirsebom, Solmaz Hajizadeh, Gary Chinga-Carrasco
Affiliations

Cross-linking cellulose nanofibrils for potential elastic cryo-structured gels

Kristin Syverud et al. Nanoscale Res Lett. .

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibrils were produced from P. radiata kraft pulp fibers. The nanofibrillation was facilitated by applying 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl-mediated oxidation as pretreatment. The oxidized nanofibrils were cross-linked with polyethyleneimine and poly N-isopropylacrylamide-co-allylamine-co-methylenebisacrylamide particles and were frozen to form cryo-structured gels. Samples of the gels were critical-point dried, and the corresponding structures were assessed with scanning electron microscopy. It appears that the aldehyde groups in the oxidized nanofibrils are suitable reaction sites for cross-linking. The cryo-structured materials were spongy, elastic, and thus capable of regaining their shape after a given pressure was released, indicating a successful cross-linking. These novel types of gels are considered potential candidates in biomedical and biotechnological applications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM images of gel prepared from nanofibrils. The nanofibrils have been linked with (A) 1,800 g/mol PEI and (B) pNIPA particles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Digital photos of nanofibril pNIPA cryo-structured gel. (A) Photo of gel at room temperature. (B) Photo of gel at 60°C.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FESEM images of a gel prepared from nanofibrils mixed with pNIPA particles. Images acquired at relatively (A) low and (B) high magnifications. The image in (B) has been acquired from the area marked with a dotted rectangle in the image in (A). Note the nano-sized fibrils forming the network structure.
Figure 4
Figure 4
FESEM image of a gel prepared from nanofibrils linked with 1,800 g/mol PEI. Images acquired at relatively (A) low and (B) high magnifications. The image in (B) has been acquired from the area marked with a dotted rectangle in the image in (A). Note the nano-sized fibrils forming the network structure.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Digital photographs of a gel prepared from cellulose nanofibrils cross-linked with 1,800 g/mol PEI. (A) Before compression, (B) during compression, and (C) after pressure have been released. (D) The gel regains its original shape.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Force plotted against strain. Cellulose nanofibrils cross-linked with PEI (dark black line) and cellulose nanofibrils with pNIPA particle cryo-structured gels (dash line).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chinga-Carrasco G. Cellulose fibres, nanofibrils and microfibrils: the morphological sequence of MFC components from a plant physiology and fibre technology point of view. Nanoscale Res Lett. 2011;6:417. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Henriksson M, Berglund L. Structure and properties of cellulose nanocomposite films containing melamine formaldehyde. J Appl Polym Sci. 2007;106:2817–2824.
    1. Nakagaito AN, Yano H. Novel high-strength biocomposites based on microfibrillated cellulose having nano-order-unit web-like network structure. Appl Phys A. 2005;80:155–159.
    1. Bruce DM, Hobson RN, Farrent JW, Hepworth DG. High-performance composites from low-cost plant primary cell walls. Compos Part A. 2005;26:1486–1493.
    1. Malainine ME, Mahrouz M, Dufresne A. Thermoplastic nanocomposites based on cellulose microfibrils from Opuntia ficus-indica parenchyma cell. Compos Sci Technol. 2005;65:1520–1526.

LinkOut - more resources