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Polymers
Special Issues
Cellulose-Based Functional Materials
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Cellulose-Based Functional Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 6947

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Weiqi Leng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
Interests: wood modification for dimension stability and durability; functionalization and valorization of lignocellulosic materials
Dr. Xuefeng Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Interests: nanocellulose and nano-chitin biobased carbon nanomaterials for advanced applications; biobased absorbents for water and soil remediations; lignin-based polymer resins, coatings, and plastics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cellulose is one of the most abundant biomaterials in nature. It is a homopolymer of glucose linked with β,1-4 glycosidic bonds. Cellulose can be derived from plants (such as wood) and fabricated either as the scaffold biomaterials or as cellulose slurries for further functionalization. In the case of cellulose scaffold, chemical or enzymatic pretreatment of plants is critical to removing the lignin and hemicellulose, leaving appropriate space for the grafting of functional groups.

Cellulose-based biomaterials are applied in wide areas, such as energy-saving building blocks, solar cells, phase-changing devices, water/oil separation, heavy metal remediation, coatings and paints, controlled-release fertilizer, etc. In this Special Issue, the functionalization, modification, and application of lignocellulosic biomaterials will also be considered.

Dr. Weiqi Leng
Dr. Xuefeng Zhang
Guest Editors

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
  • nanofibrils
  • wood
  • scaffold
  • pretreatment
  • functionalization
  • modification
  • water remediation
  • coatings
  • energy saving

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3209 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Thermoplastic Cellulose Esters in [mTBNH][OAC] Ionic Liquid by Transesterification Reaction
by Elvira Tarasova, Nutan Savale, Illia Krasnou, Marina Kudrjašova, Vitalijs Rjabovs, Indrek Reile, Lauri Vares, Heikko Kallakas, Jaan Kers and Andres Krumme
Polymers 2023, 15(19), 3979; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15193979 - 3 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1949
Abstract
The transesterification of cellulose with vinyl esters in ionic liquid media is suggested as a prospective environmentally friendly alternative to conventional esterification. In this study, various long-chain cellulose esters (laurate, myristate, palmitate, and stearate) with a degree of substitution (DS) up to 1.8 [...] Read more.
The transesterification of cellulose with vinyl esters in ionic liquid media is suggested as a prospective environmentally friendly alternative to conventional esterification. In this study, various long-chain cellulose esters (laurate, myristate, palmitate, and stearate) with a degree of substitution (DS) up to 1.8 have been synthesized in novel distillable ionic liquid, [mTBNH][OAC]. This IL has high dissolving power towards cellulose, which can improve homogeneous transesterification. Additionally, [mTBNH][OAC] has durability towards recycling and can be regenerated and re-used again for the next cycles of esterification. DMSO is used as a co-solvent because of its ability to speed up mass transport due to lower solvent viscosity. The optimization of the reaction parameters, such as co-solvent content, temperature (20–80 °C), reaction time (1–5 h), and a molar ratio of reactants (1–5 eq. AGU) is reported. It was found that within studied reaction conditions, DS increases with increasing reaction time, temperature, and added vinyl esters. Structure analysis using FTIR, 1H, and 13C NMR after acylation revealed the introduction of the alkyl chains into cellulose for all studied samples. The results also suggested that the substitution order of the OH group is C7-O6 > C7-O2 > C7-O3. Unique, complex thermal and rheological investigation of the cellulose esters shows the growth of an amorphous phase upon the degree of substitution. At the same time, the homogeneous substitution of cellulose with acyl chains increases the melt viscosity of a material. Internal plasticization in cellulose esters was found to be the mechanism for the melt processing of the material. Long-chain cellulose esters show the potential to replace commonly used externally plasticized cellulose derivatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose-Based Functional Materials)
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17 pages, 3761 KiB  
Article
Breathability and Moisture Permeability of Cellulose Nanocrystals Hollow Microsphere Coatings for PET Fabrics
by Fan Zhang, Bingyao Song, Yilin Li, Yingying Zhou, Yanbing Wang, Qunna Xu and Jianzhong Ma
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5345; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245345 - 7 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1552
Abstract
In this study, cellulose nanocrystals hollow microspheres (HMs) were fabricated through Pickering emulsion polymerization, in which hydrophobically modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) acted as Pickering stabilizers. The hollow interior core was prepared by solvent evaporation. This manuscript describes the synthesis of HMs in detail. [...] Read more.
In this study, cellulose nanocrystals hollow microspheres (HMs) were fabricated through Pickering emulsion polymerization, in which hydrophobically modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) acted as Pickering stabilizers. The hollow interior core was prepared by solvent evaporation. This manuscript describes the synthesis of HMs in detail. The hollow structure and nanoscale size of HMs were verified using TEM. The resultant HMs could easily coat self-forming films on the surface of PET fabrics. Additionally, these coatings exhibited superior breathability and moisture permeability properties with a high one-way transport index of 936.33% and a desirable overall moisture management capability of 0.72. Cellulose nanocrystal hollow microsphere coatings could be used as a moisture-wicking functionality agent for finishing fabrics, oil–water separation, and fog harvesting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose-Based Functional Materials)
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14 pages, 2952 KiB  
Article
Microstructural and Thermo-Mechanical Characterization of Furfurylated Douglas Fir
by Xuefei Jiang, Jing Wang, Ziheng Wang, Feiyue Hua, Sheng He, Buyun Lu, Xiang Wang, Xuefeng Zhang and Weiqi Leng
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4641; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214641 - 31 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1133
Abstract
Fast-growing wood has become a major source of materials for the wood industry in recent years, but defects have limited its use. Therefore, modification is urgently needed for the more efficient application of wood products. In this study, a 30 to 50% solution [...] Read more.
Fast-growing wood has become a major source of materials for the wood industry in recent years, but defects have limited its use. Therefore, modification is urgently needed for the more efficient application of wood products. In this study, a 30 to 50% solution of furfuryl alcohol (FA) was impregnated into Douglas fir sapwood. The microstructure and thermal properties of the specimens before and after furfurylation were evaluated by different techniques. The weight percentage gain (WPG) of modified wood increased up to 22.97%, with the polymerized FA distributed in cell lumens and cell walls, as well as chemically bound to wood components. The polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) was mainly located in the tracheids, ray parenchyma cells, and resin canals. In addition, the furfurylated cell walls were greatly thickened. Raman spectra showed that modified wood had significant background fluorescence that covered other peaks. Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis revealed that the cross-linking reaction between FA and wood changed the shape of curves, with no endothermic or exothermic peaks within the programmed temperature. Moreover, Thermogravimetry and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis results both confirmed that the furfurylation increased the thermal stability of Douglas fir. The percentage of the final mass loss of untreated specimen was 80.11%, while the highest one of furfurylated specimen was 78.15%, and it gradually decreased with increasing FA concentration. The storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E″) of the furfurylated wood were both lower, and the damping factor (tan δ) was higher than the untreated one. When the temperature reaches about 75 °C, the untreated specimen began to soften and deform. At 90 °C, it fractured completely while the furfurylatedone remained stable. This study demonstrated that furfurylation can improve wood properties and elongate its service life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose-Based Functional Materials)
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12 pages, 3037 KiB  
Article
Induced Wood-Inorganic Composites in Standing Trees via Slow-Release Drip
by Jiangtao Shi, Haizhe Zhang, Yuhan Liu, Chongyang Xia and Yaoli Zhang
Polymers 2022, 14(15), 3103; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153103 - 30 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1286
Abstract
It is a novel idea to fabricate wood-inorganic composites by utilizing the transpiration of bionic trees to realize the self-assembly of inorganic precursors in wood formation. We selected a 10-year-old poplar and diffused the solvent or sol containing SiO2 precursor into the [...] Read more.
It is a novel idea to fabricate wood-inorganic composites by utilizing the transpiration of bionic trees to realize the self-assembly of inorganic precursors in wood formation. We selected a 10-year-old poplar and diffused the solvent or sol containing SiO2 precursor into the xylem via the slow-release drip method. In combination with the moisture in xylem, reactions such as hydrolysis, polycondensation and self-assembly were induced in order to form wood inorganic composites. It was found, through microscopic observation, that such inorganic substances were yellowish brown and widely existed in vessels, wood fibers and ray cells. For the new grown wood, the fiber–tissue ratio and cell wall thickness underwent an increase, while the vessel diameter and tissue ratio experienced a decline. Moreover, such change was related to the concentration of precursors. EDS analysis proved that the elemental composition of sediments in wood cells was C, O, Si, K and Ca. XPS confirmed that the newly formed wood contained silicon oxide, illustrating that the standing tree slow-release drip technology could induce wood to fabricate inorganic composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose-Based Functional Materials)
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