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Polymers
Special Issues
Cellulose Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Functional Properties and Applications
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Cellulose Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Functional Properties and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2023) | Viewed by 4624

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Qilin Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fujian Key Laboratory of Novel Functional Textile Fibers and Materials, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: cellulose nanocrystals; natural polymers; biomass composite materials; smart hydrogel film
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are nanoscale cellulose extracted from natural fibers and not only have the characteristics of nanoparticles but also certain unique strength and optical properties and, thus, broad application prospects. Cellulose nanocrystalline materials have a natural affinity for polymers and can form a special adaptive structure, resulting in the effect of reducing the local stress at the interface such that the polymer matrix and filler material can still maintain a certain bond strength. Due to its favorable physicochemical and ecological properties, nanocellulose has been widely used as a filler in the field of composite materials in recent years. At present, composite materials containing nanocellulose have been widely used in food packaging, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, engineering plastics and biomedical engineering.

This Special Issue aims to build a high-quality academic exchange platform on cellulose nanocrystalline materials. Scholars are welcome to contribute their academic achievements.

Dr. Qilin Lu
Guest Editor

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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs)
  • cellulose extraction
  • cellulose nanocrystal suspension
  • preparation of cellulose nanocrystals
  • thermal stability of cellulose nanocrystals
  • dispersibility of cellulose nanocrystals
  • cellulose and its composites

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2347 KiB  
Article
Zirconium Phosphate Assisted Phosphoric Acid Co-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Lignocellulose for Enhanced Extraction of Nanocellulose
by Hanchen Wang, Jiayin Wu, Yuan Lian, Yonggui Li, Biao Huang and Qilin Lu
Polymers 2023, 15(2), 447; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020447 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1379
Abstract
The high mechanical strength, large specific surface area, favorable biocompatibility, and degradability of nanocellulose (CNC) enable it to be a potential alternative to petroleum-based materials. However, the traditional preparation of CNCs requires a large amount of strong acid, which poses a serious challenge [...] Read more.
The high mechanical strength, large specific surface area, favorable biocompatibility, and degradability of nanocellulose (CNC) enable it to be a potential alternative to petroleum-based materials. However, the traditional preparation of CNCs requires a large amount of strong acid, which poses a serious challenge to equipment maintenance, waste liquid recycling, and economics. In this study, a solid and easily recoverable zirconium phosphate (ZrP) was used to assist in the phosphoric acid co-catalyzed hydrolysis of lignocellulose for extracting CNCs. Due to the presence of acidic phosphate groups, ZrP has a strong active center with a high catalytic activity. With the assistance of ZrP, the amount of phosphoric acid used in the reaction is significantly reduced, improving the equipment’s durability and economic efficiency. The effects of the process conditions investigated were the phosphate acid concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the yield of CNCs. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) method from the response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to investigate and optimize the preparation conditions. The optimized pre-treatment conditions were 49.27% phosphoric acid concentration, 65.38 °C reaction temperature, and 5 h reaction time with a maximal cellulose yield (48.33%). The obtained CNCs show a granular shape with a length of 40~50 nm and a diameter of 20~30 nm, while its high zeta potential (−24.5 mV) make CNCs present a stable dispersion in aqueous media. Moreover, CNCs have a high crystallinity of 78.70% within the crystal type of cellulose Ⅰ. As such, this study may pioneer the horizon for developing a green method for the efficient preparation of CNC, and it is of great significance for CNCs practical production process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Functional Properties and Applications)
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14 pages, 3728 KiB  
Article
Facile Access to Gleditsia microphylla Galactomannan Hydrogel with Rapid Self-Repair Capacity and Multicyclic Water-Retaining Performance of Sandy Soil
by Chuanjie Liu, Meng Tang, Fenglun Zhang, Fuhou Lei, Pengfei Li, Kun Wang, Hongbo Zeng and Jianxin Jiang
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5430; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245430 - 12 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1445
Abstract
Sandy soil has poor water-holding performance, making it difficult for plants to survive, which worsens the deterioration of the ecological environment. Therefore, borax cross-linked Gleditsia microphylla galactomannan hydrogel (GMGH) was prepared, and its practicability as a water-retaining agent was analyzed. GMGH exhibited fast [...] Read more.
Sandy soil has poor water-holding performance, making it difficult for plants to survive, which worsens the deterioration of the ecological environment. Therefore, borax cross-linked Gleditsia microphylla galactomannan hydrogel (GMGH) was prepared, and its practicability as a water-retaining agent was analyzed. GMGH exhibited fast self-healing performance (150 s, ≈100%) and a high swelling index (88.70 g/g in pH 9). The feasibility of improving the water absorption and retention properties of sandy soil was explored by mixing different proportions (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 wt % sandy soil) of GMGH and sandy soil. The results showed that sandy soil had a more porous structure after adding 0.5 wt % GMGH, and its water absorption index increased from 15.68 to 38.12%. In an artificial climate box, the water-holding time of the sandy soil was extended from 3 to 23.5 days, and the cycles of water absorption and retention were more than 10 times. Therefore, GMGH has broad application prospects as a potential water-retaining agent for desertification control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Functional Properties and Applications)
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Graphical abstract

8 pages, 2849 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Cellulose Nanocrystals/HKUST-1 Composites and Their Applications: Crystal Violet Removal and Doxorubicin Loading
by Christian J. Wijaya, Felycia E. Soetaredjo, Suryadi Ismadji and Setiyo Gunawan
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 4991; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14224991 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1291
Abstract
This study developed a novel composite material containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and HKUST-1. Here, the addition of CNCs was used to enhance the characteristics of HKUST-1 in terms of surface area, adsorption ability, and functional groups. Here, the fabrication of CNCs@HKUST-1 composites was [...] Read more.
This study developed a novel composite material containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and HKUST-1. Here, the addition of CNCs was used to enhance the characteristics of HKUST-1 in terms of surface area, adsorption ability, and functional groups. Here, the fabrication of CNCs@HKUST-1 composites was carried out by adding CNCs into the fabrication process of HKUST-1. The addition of CNCs provides additional functional groups on the surface of composite material which can be used to attach other organic compounds, such as in waste management and drug delivery systems. Here, CNCs@HKUST-1 composites were tested as a material for crystal violet (CV) removal and doxorubicin (DOX) loading. The removal capacity of CNCs@HKUST-1 composite towards CV molecules reached 1182.25 ± 27.74 mg/g, while the loading capacity for DOX drugs was around 1514.94 ± 11.67 mg/g. Both applications showed that CNCs@HKUST-1 composite had higher adsorption capacity and ability compared to its precursor materials, i.e., CNCs and HKUST-1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Functional Properties and Applications)
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