The chemical-free production of nanocelluloses from microcrystalline cellulose and their use as Pickering emulsion stabilizer

Jean Buffiere, Zoltan Balogh-Michels, Marc Borrega, Thomas Geiger, Tanja Zimmermann, Herbert Sixta

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    55 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper takes a comparative approach in characterizing two types of nano-scale cellulosic particles obtained using chemical-free pathways, either by nearcritical water treatment or by high-shear homogenization from the same microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The nearcritical water treatment efficiently depolymerized cellulose, producing a solid precipitated fraction of low-molecular-weight material containing cellulose II, while homogenization mechanically deconstructed MCC without altering its molecular structure. Both pathways yielded nanocellulose-like materials yet with different morphologies. The mechanically produced, rod-like particles were obtained with high yield. In contrast, the hydrothermal precipitate exhibited more hydrophobic ribbon-like particles that provided a greater level of particle-particle interaction. Both materials successfully acted as stabilizers for oil-in-water Pickering emulsions; however, the hydrothermally-produced material exhibited superior performance, with stable emulsions obtained upon addition of as low as 1.0 wt.% cellulose. These two pathways are highly relevant for altering the structure and properties of MCC and for formulating new, sustainably produced nanocellulose-based materials.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)48-56
    JournalCarbohydrate Polymers
    Volume178
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 15 Dec 2017
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Keywords

    • microcrystalline cellulose
    • microfluidization
    • nanocellulose
    • nearcritical water
    • pickering emulsions

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