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Special Issue "From Biomass to Nanomaterials"

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "2D and Carbon Nanomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2023 | Viewed by 8058

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bin Li

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Guest Editor

Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
Interests: lignocellulose; nanomaterials from biomass; natural polymers; functional materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Chunlin Xu

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Natural Materials technology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500 Turku, Finland
Interests: bio-based materials; nanocellulose; lignin; 3D printing

Prof. Dr. Pedram Fatehi

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Guest Editor

Green Processes Research Centre and Biorefining Research Institute, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON P7B5E1, Canada
Interests: production of advanced cellulose-based materials; modification of lignin and hemicelluloses to produce value-added products; advanced colloid and interface science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanomaterials (particularly for cellulose nanomaterials and lignin nanoparticles) derived from biomass have attracted much attention from both academia and industry due to their unique nanostructure and physicochemical properties. Distint from inorganic nanomaterials, nanomaterials from biomass also have good renewability, biocompatibility and biodegrability. Therefore, nanomaterials from biomass have a wide variety of potential applications, such as paper and paperboard for high-quality packaging; rheology modifiers for coatings, paints, foods and drinks; functional fillers for rubber and polymer composites; drug delivery and wound dressing in medicine; moisturizing factors for cosmetics; adsorbents for water treatment; bio-ink for 3D printing; and building blocks for optical, electronic and smart devices. Certainly, the present issues (such as high-cost production, low concentrations of samples, poor re-dispersibility, low durability (particularly in high moisture), and safety evaluation) are still challenging, which should be well addressed.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials will present comprehensive research outlining the progress in the chemistry, modification, preparation and application of cellulosic nanomaterials and lignin nanoparticles. We invite authors to contribute original research articles and review articles covering the state of the art in the theoretical research and applications of nanomaterials from biomass.

Prof. Dr. Bin Li
Prof. Dr. Chunlin Xu
Prof. Dr. Pedram Fatehi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomass
cellulose nanomaterials
nanocellulose
lignin nanoparticles
green chemistry
application

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Functionalisation of Electrospun Cellulose Acetate Membranes with PEDOT and PPy for Electronic Controlled Drug Release

Beatriz Lago

Miguel Brito

Cristina M. M. Almeida

Isabel Ferreira

and

Ana Catarina Baptista

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(9), 1493; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13091493 - 27 Apr 2023

Viewed by 446

Abstract

Controlled drug release via electrical stimulation from drug-impregnated fibres was studied using electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) membranes and encapsulated ibuprofen (IBU). This research outlines the influence of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-functionalised CA membranes and their suitability for dermal electronic-controlled drug release. Micro Raman analysis confirmed polymer functionalisation of CA membranes and drug incorporation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images evidenced the presence of PPy and PEDOT coatings. The kinetic of drug release was analysed, and the passive and active release was compared. In the proposed systems, the drug release is controlled by very low electrical potentials. A potential of −0.3 V applied to membranes showed the ibuprofen retention, and a positive potential of +0.3 V, +0.5 V, or +0.8 V, depending on the conductive polymer and membrane configuration, enhanced the drug release. A small adhesive patch was constructed to validate this system for cutaneous application and verified an “ON/OFF” ibuprofen release pattern from membranes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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Open AccessArticle

All-Tunicate Cellulose Film with Good Light Management Properties for High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells

and

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(7), 1221; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13071221 - 29 Mar 2023

Viewed by 509

Abstract

Tunicate nanocellulose with its unique properties, such as excellent mechanical strength, high crystallinity, and good biodegradability, has potential to be used for the preparation of light management film with tunable transmittance and haze. Herein, we prepared a whole tunicate cellulose film with tunable haze levels, by mixing tunicate microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and tunicate cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). Then, the obtained whole tunicate cellulose film with updated light management was used to modify the organic solar cell (OSC) substrate, aiming to improve the light utilization efficiency of OSC. Results showed that the dosage of MFC based on the weight of CNF was an important factor to adjust the haze and light transmittance of the prepared cellulose film. When the dosage of MFC was 3 wt.%, the haze of the obtained film increased 74.2% compared to the pure CNF film (39.2%). Moreover, the optimized tunicate cellulose film exhibited excellent mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength of 168 MPa, toughness of 5.7 MJ/m³) and high thermal stability, which will be beneficial to the workability and durability of OSC. More interestingly, we applied the obtained whole tunicate cellulose film with a high haze (68.3%) and high light transmittance (85.0%) as an additional layer to be adhered to the glass substrate of OSC, and a notable improvement (6.5%) of the power conversion efficiency was achieved. With the use of biodegradable tunicate cellulose, this work provides a simple strategy to enhance light management of the transparent substrate of OSC for improving power conversion efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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Open AccessArticle

Valorization of Vegetable Waste from Leek, Lettuce, and Artichoke to Produce Highly Concentrated Lignocellulose Micro- and Nanofibril Suspensions

Jose Luis Sanchez-Salvador

Mariana P. Marques

Margarida S. C. A. Brito

Carlos Negro

Maria Concepcion Monte

Yaidelin A. Manrique

Ricardo J. Santos

and

Angeles Blanco

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(24), 4499; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12244499 - 19 Dec 2022

Viewed by 930

Abstract

Vegetable supply in the world is more than double than vegetable intake, which supposes a significant waste of vegetables, in addition to the agricultural residues produced. As sensitive food products, the reasons for this waste vary from the use of only a part of the vegetable due to its different properties to the product appearance and market image. An alternative high-added-value application for these wastes rich in cellulose could be the reduction in size to produce lignocellulose micro- and nanofibrils (LCMNF). In this sense, a direct treatment of greengrocery waste (leek, lettuce, and artichoke) to produce LCMNFs without the extraction of cellulose has been studied, obtaining highly concentrated suspensions, without using chemicals. After drying the wastes, these suspensions were produced by milling and blending at high shear followed by several passes in the high-pressure homogenizer (up to six passes). The presence of more extractives and shorter fiber lengths allowed the obtention of 5–5.5% leek LCMNF suspensions and 3.5–4% lettuce LCMNF suspensions, whereas for artichoke, only suspensions of under 1% were obtained. The main novelty of the work was the obtention of a high concentration of micro- and nanofiber suspension from the total waste without any pretreatment. These high concentrations are not obtained from other raw materials (wood or annual plants) due to the clogging of the homogenizer, requiring the dilution of the sample up to 1% or the use of chemical pretreatments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Amphiphilic Lignin Nanoparticles Made from Lignin-Acrylic Acid-Methyl Methacrylate Copolymers

Yingchao Wang

Niloofar Alipoormazandarani

and

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(15), 2612; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12152612 - 29 Jul 2022

Viewed by 997

Abstract

In this study, a novel amphiphilic KL-AA-MMA nanoparticle was prepared through the graft copolymerization of kraft lignin (KL) with acrylic acid (AA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA), using potassium persulfate as an initiator in a water/dimethyl sulfoxide solvent medium, which was followed by the nanoprecipitation technique using dimethylformamide as a solvent and deionized water as an antisolvent. The successful graft polymerization was verified by ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ³¹P-NMR, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses; and the grafting yield of the generated KL-AA-MMA copolymer ranged from 68.2% to 96.5%. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation revealed the formation of amorphous KL-AA-MMA nanoparticles. Additionally, KL-AA-MMA9 nanoparticles with the highest yield exhibited the minimum hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity of 261 nm and 0.153, respectively. Moreover, the amphiphilicity of KL-AA-MMA nanoparticles was significantly improved by the grafting of MMA monomers. Finally, the adsorption performance of KL-AA-MMA nanoparticles at the xylene interface was evaluated by a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). The results demonstrated that the most amphiphilic sample, KL-AA-MMA9 nanoparticles, with the smallest hydrodynamic size displayed the highest adsorption on the oil/water interface. This product provides a wide range of applications in oil/water emulsions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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Open AccessArticle

Fabrication and Properties of Tree-Branched Cellulose Nanofibers (CNFs) via Acid Hydrolysis Assisted with Pre-Disintegration Treatment

and

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(12), 2089; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12122089 - 17 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1245

Abstract

In this paper, the novel morphology of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) with a unique tree-branched structure was discovered by using acid hydrolysis assisted with pre-disintegration treatment from wood pulps. For comparison, the pulps derived from both softwood and hardwood were utilized to extract nanocellulose in order to validate the feasibility of proposed material fabrication technique. The morphology, crystalline structures, chemical structures, and thermal stability of nanocellulose were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Prior to acid hydrolysis, softwood and hardwood pulps underwent the disintegration treatment in the fiber dissociator. It has been found that nanocellulose derived from disintegrated pulps possesses much longer fiber length (approximately 5–6 μm) and more evident tree-branched structures along with lower degree of crystallinity when compared with those untreated counterparts. The maximum mass loss rate of CNFs takes place at the temperature level of approximately 225 °C, and appears to be higher than that of cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs), which might be attributed to an induced impact of amorphous content. On the other hand, disintegration treatment is quite beneficial to the enhancement of tensile strength of nanocellulose films. This study elaborates a new route of material fabrication toward the development of well-tailored tree-branched CNFs in order to broaden the potential widespread applications of nanocellulose with diverse morphological structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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Open AccessArticle

Impact of the Incorporation of Nano-Sized Cellulose Formate on the End Quality of Polylactic Acid Composite Film

and

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12010001 - 21 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2119

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) films with good sustainable and biodegradable properties have been increasingly explored recently, while the poor mechanical property of PLA limits its further application. Herein, three kinds of nano-sized cellulose formate (NCF: cellulose nanofibril (CNF), cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), and regenerated cellulose formate (CF)) with different properties were fabricated via a one-step formic acid (FA) hydrolysis of tobacco stalk, and the influence of the properties of NCF with different morphologies, crystallinity index (CrI), and degree of substitution (DS) on the end quality of PLA composite film was systematically compared. Results showed that the PLA/CNC film showed the highest increase (106%) of tensile strength compared to the CNF- and CF-based films, which was induced by the rod-like CNC with higher CrI. PLA/CF film showed the largest increase (50%) of elongation at the break and more even surface, which was due to the stronger interfacial interaction between PLA and the CF with higher DS. Moreover, the degradation property of PLA/CNF film was better than that of other composite films. This fundamental study was very beneficial for the development of high-quality, sustainable packaging as an alternative to petroleum-based products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Tailoring Functionality of Nanocellulose: Current Status and Critical Challenges

and

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(9), 1489; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13091489 - 27 Apr 2023

Viewed by 930

Abstract

Nanocellulose (NC) isolated from natural cellulose resources, which mainly includes cellulose nanofibril (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), has garnered increased attention in recent decades due to its outstanding physical and chemical properties. Various chemical modifications have been developed with the aim of surface-modifying NC for highly sophisticated applications. This review comprehensively summarizes the chemical modifications applied to NC so far in order to introduce new functionalities to the material, such as silanization, esterification, oxidation, etherification, grafting, coating, and others. The new functionalities obtained through such surface-modification methods include hydrophobicity, conductivity, antibacterial properties, and absorbability. In addition, the incorporation of NC in some functional materials, such as films, wearable sensors, cellulose nanospheres, aerogel, hydrogels, and nanocomposites, is discussed in relation to the tailoring of the functionality of NC. It should be pointed out that some issues need to be addressed during the preparation of NC and NC-based materials, such as the low reactivity of these raw materials, the difficulties involved in their scale-up, and their high energy and water consumption. Over the past decades, some methods have been developed, such as the use of pretreatment methods, the adaptation of low-cost starting raw materials, and the use of environmentally friendly chemicals, which support the practical application of NC and NC-based materials. Overall, it is believed that as a green, sustainable, and renewable nanomaterial, NC is will be suitable for large-scale applications in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Biomass to Nanomaterials)

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