Cellulose-Based Gels

Abstract

Cellulose is the most available biomacromolecule in nature with the properties of renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and environmental friendliness. Cellulose and its derivatives are excellent building blocks for fabrication of gels. In this review, the principles for preparing cellulose‐based gels are summarized in detail. Considering the native properties of cellulose and its derivatives, chemical and/or physical crosslinking can be introduced during the preparation of cellulose‐based gels. The chemical and physical crosslinking approaches are classified alongside the introduction of new concepts in polymer science, such as supramolecular interactions. Cellulose graft copolymers are another kind of building block in the fabrication of cellulose‐based gels. The properties of gels can be tailored by the chemical structure of the graft chains. Cellulose‐based gels can be applied in many fields depending on their properties.

3D Printing of Gelled and Cross-Linked Cellulose Solutions; an Exploration of Printing Parameters and Gel Behaviour

“…In bioprinting this often involves either a gelation process of a solution or, more commonly, thixotropic of a gel [13]. Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer in the world and has been demonstrated to be a suitable polymer for applications in, for example, tissue engineering, filtration or separation [14]. However, cellulose in its native form is not water soluble and thus has proven challenging to process on bioprinters, either requiring the use of nanocellulose to form thixotropic and thus extrudable gels or suitable solvents to create cellulose solutions within a viscosity range that allows extrusion [15].…”

Directionally-Grown Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel with Excellent Structure Stability and Adsorption Capacity

“…However, the abundant carboxymethyl groups make them very hydrophilic and thus limit their practical applications in aqueous environments. Covalent and non-covalent crosslinking methods are thus proposed to enhance the structure stability of the CMC-based materials [ 24 , 25 ]. Recently, the combination of poly (methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PMVEMA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with cellulosic materials has attracted attention.…”

Localized hydrogels based on cellulose nanofibers and wood pulp for rapid removal of methylene blue

“…[6,[9][10][11][12] Cellulose, which can be sustainably sourced and is biodegradable, has been evaluated as an alternative adsorbent for water purification. [13][14][15][16][17] For example, Tam and coworkers reported that hydrogel beads made from sulfated cellulose nanocrystals (S-CNCs) and alginate could efficiently remove 97% of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. [18] In a different example, Yu and coworkers showed that carboxylated cellulose nanofiber (CNF) aerogels removed MB with up to 95% efficiency.…”