Eco-friendly and biodegradable cellulose hydrogels produced from low cost okara: towards non-toxic flexible electronics

Abstract

With increasing resource shortage and environmental pollution, it is preferable to utilize materials which are sustainable and biodegradable. Side-streams products generated from the food processing industry is one potential avenue that can be used in a wide range of applications. In this study, the food by-product okara was effectively reused for the extraction of cellulose. Then, the okara cellulose was further employed to fabricate cellulose hydrogels with favorable mechanical properties, biodegrablability, and non-cytotoxicity. The results showed that it could be biodegraded in soil within 28 days, and showed no cytotoxicity on NIH3T3 cells. As a proof of concept, a demostration of wearable and biocompatible strain sensor was achieved, which allowed a good and stable detection of human body movement behaviors. The okara-based hydrogels could provide an alternative platform for further physical and/or chemical modification towards tissue engineering, medical supplies, or smart biomimetic soft materials.

Improving Sodium Alginate Films Properties by Phenolic Acid Addition

“…Currently, a trend called “from nature to nature” is observed in the field of materials science Natural polymers are eco-friendly and biodegradable [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]; nevertheless, they have poor physicochemical properties [ 13 ]. Thereby, they may be considered as raw materials for packaging production after initial modifications, which lead to improving their properties [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

The Preparation and Properties of Composite Hydrogels Based on Gelatin and (3-Aminopropyl) Trimethoxysilane Grafted Cellulose Nanocrystals Covalently Linked with Microbial Transglutaminase

“…More convincing evidence for successful APTMS modification can be found from the high-resolution XPS spectra of the C 1s peak ( Figure 2 C, D). The deconvolution of the peak associated with carbon atoms in the XPS spectra of CNCs showed three types of carbon bonds: C–C (284.8 eV), C–O (286.1 eV) and O–C–O (287.3 eV) [ 23 , 30 ]. In Figure 2 D, the intensity of the C–C peak increased with surface silanization, and the intensity of the C–C peak was much higher than that of the O–C–O peak, which was in contrast with results in Figure 2 C. This change was mainly due to the presence of the propyl groups in APTMS.…”

Clinically relevant materials & applications inspired by food technologies

“…NiSe 2 -modified cellulose was used to fabricate a biosensor cum personal health care monitor, 29 and okara-derived cellulose was fabricated into hydrogels for human movement detection as a biosensor. 30 A hypocholesterolaemic effect of chitosan in humans was also observed before lowering the serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations, 31 which makes it an attractive alternative biomaterial for cardiovascular stent design. β-Chitosan, a rarer form of chitosan extracted from molluscs as opposed to α-chitosan from crustaceans, has demonstrated antimicrobial effects against multidrug-resistant bacteria, a serious problem in nosocomial settings.…”

“… Biomaterials Clinical Application Refs. Cellulose Wound dressing (hydrogel), antimicrobial, anti-freezing, non-drying properties 4 Wound dressing (film), exudate absorption, controlled drug release 5 Tissue engineering, skin and bone 16 Sensor for personal health care monitoring (paper) 29 Biosensor (hydrogel) 30 Tissue engineering, bone 15 Drug delivery 23 Cellulose nanofibril Wound dressing, Antimicrobial property and mode of action 6 Nanocrystalline cellulose Wound dressing, Antimicrobial property 7 Chitosan Wound dressing, Antimicrobial property 8 Wound dressing, Antimicrobial property 9 Wound dressing (hydrogel), Haemostatic 12 Surgical suture 13 Surgical suture, improved colonic anastomosis 14 Tissue engineering (hydrogel), kidney-specific 17 Drug delivery, kidney-specific 25 Drug delivery, antimicrobial, rechargeable 26 Hypocholesterolaemic 31 Haemostasis 10 Antimicrobial against multi-drug resistant bacteria 32 Tissue engineering (hydrogel), bone 18 …”