Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) Liquid Crystalline State in Suspension: An Overview

Moud, Aref Abbasi; Moud, Aliyeh Abbasi

doi:10.3390/applbiosci1030016

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 268 publications

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“…A surprising feature of Figure a is the elongated or platelet-like pore morphology of the CNC cryogel. This observation is because the number of the contact points between CNC particles increased in the presence of the salt . Increasing the ratio of ENCC significantly changed the morphological features.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Crystalline and Hairy Nanocelluloses for 3D Printed Hydrogels and Strongly Structured Cryogels

Ojagh

Amini

Cranmer-Smith

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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This work addresses two main challenges in additive manufacturing of cellulosic hydrogels and cryogels. They are (1) the rheological properties of suspensions of electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose (ENCC, a member of the family of hairy nanocelluloses) are inadequate for 3D printing of hydrogels and (2) 3D printed cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) cryogels have poor mechanical properties. The above limitations are effectively addressed by hybridization of CNC/ENCC in the presence of a salt at an optimized weight ratio. Controlling the CNC/ENCC weight ratio leads to high tunability of the rheological properties of the hybrid systems, resulting in high-fidelity printing of 3D hydrogels. Similarly, high tunability in the mechanical performance of the cryogels, obtained upon freeze drying of the printed hydrogels, is achieved by manipulating the CNC/ENCC ratio. Compared to neat CNC cryogels, the compressive strength of the CNC/ENCC (1:1) cryogels is 78% higher. Combined, CNC bestows high printability on the cryogels, while the presence of ENCC leads to the strengthening of the corresponding super porous solid materials. Our findings open new opportunities for sustainable, biocompatible, and lightweight cellulosic structured scaffolds that can be tailored for a broad spectrum of applications.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Crystalline and Hairy Nanocelluloses for 3D Printed Hydrogels and Strongly Structured Cryogels

Ojagh

Amini

Cranmer-Smith

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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show abstract

“…The following subsections discuss general features of the rheological and mechanical behaviors of CNC-based hybrid materials. For more details on rheology and mechanical properties of CNC-based materials, the reader is advised to refer to work by Abbasi Moud et al, , Casado et al, Ching et al, and Kim et al…”

Section: Spatial–temporal Control Of Cnc Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances and Opportunities for Cellulose Nanocrystal-Based Liquid Crystalline Polymer Hybrids and Composite Materials

Masese,

Njenga,

Ndaya

et al. 2023

Macromolecules

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Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are one-dimensional, rod-like, anisotropic, renewable, sustainable, and degradable polysaccharide-based materials with a high aspect ratio and tunable surface chemistry. The intriguing ability of CNCs to selfassemble into a lyotropic chiral nematic or cholesteric liquid crystal phase with a helical arrangement that exhibits birefringence, iridescence, and pitch-dependent 1D photonic properties has attracted significant research interests. However, there are several roadblocks in the application of CNCs as sustainable and degradable liquid crystal (LC) materials. These include (i) problems with aggregation of CNCs that prevent solubility in different solvents, (ii) difficulties in processing, aligning, and spatial and temporal control of lyotropic gels and dried films of CNCs, and (iii) poor mechanical and viscoelastic properties of these gels and films. This Perspective describes the synthetic methods used to functionalize CNCs with LC pendants or liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) by chemical conjugation or physical self-assembly. These CNC hybrid materials showed improved solubility in a variety of solvents. The interplay between the liquid crystalline CNCs and liquid crystalline LCs or LCPs during self-assembly can be tailored by selecting LCs or LCPs of a diverging orientation order. The final self-assembled hierarchical structure with or without a field-directed assembly can be used to fabricate stimuli-responsive CNC hybrid materials. Furthermore, kinetic and thermodynamic control to align LC domains and prepare materials with long-range order are also discussed. Finally, spatial−temporal control, viscoelastic properties, and degradation of the CNC hybrid materials and their applications are also reported.

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“…The small pore dimensions between the nanocellulose fibers result in a more homogeneous refractive index and reduced back-scattering. In addition, the light transmittance for CNC films or nanopapers can be controlled by the orientation of the nanocrystals [92], while they demonstrate birefringence [93], and liquid crystalline behavior above certain concentrations present in the suspension, which can be transferred into dried films [94]. The transparent and flexible nanocellulose papers have attracted interest in industrial applications such as touch sensors, solar cells, transistors and organic light emitting diodes [95].…”

Section: Optical Properties In Nanofiber Structures: Transparency Tra...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Nanocellulose in Light Harvesting and Artificial Photosynthesis

et al. 2023

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Artificial photosynthesis has rapidly developed as an actual field of research, mimicking natural photosynthesis processes in plants or bacteria to produce energy or high-value chemicals. The nanocelluloses are a family of biorenewable materials that can be engineered into nanostructures with favorable properties to serve as a host matrix for encapsulation of photoreactive moieties or cells. In this review, the production of different nanocellulose structures such as films, hydrogels, membranes, and foams together with their specific properties to function as photosynthetic devices are described. In particular, the nanocellulose’s water affinity, high surface area and porosity, mechanical stability in aqueous environment, and barrier properties can be tuned by appropriate processing. From a more fundamental viewpoint, the optical properties (transparency and haze) and interaction of light with nanofibrous structures can be further optimized to enhance light harvesting, e.g., by functionalization or appropriate surface texturing. After reviewing the basic principles of natural photosynthesis and photon interactions, it is described how they can be transferred into nanocellulose structures serving as a platform for immobilization of photoreactive moieties. Using photoreactive centers, the isolated reactive protein complexes can be applied in artificial bio-hybrid nanocellulose systems through self-assembly, or metal nanoparticles, metal-organic frameworks, and quantum dots can be integrated in nanocellulose composites. Alternatively, the immobilization of algae or cyanobacteria in nanopaper coatings or a porous nanocellulose matrix allows to design photosynthetic cell factories and advanced artificial leaves. The remaining challenges in upscaling and improving photosynthesis efficiency are finally addressed in order to establish a breakthrough in utilization of nanocellulose for artificial photosynthesis.

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Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) Liquid Crystalline State in Suspension: An Overview

Cited by 7 publications

References 268 publications

Crystalline and Hairy Nanocelluloses for 3D Printed Hydrogels and Strongly Structured Cryogels

Crystalline and Hairy Nanocelluloses for 3D Printed Hydrogels and Strongly Structured Cryogels

Recent Advances and Opportunities for Cellulose Nanocrystal-Based Liquid Crystalline Polymer Hybrids and Composite Materials

Role of Nanocellulose in Light Harvesting and Artificial Photosynthesis

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