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Polymers
Special Issues
Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications
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Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 18397

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhen Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: nanocellulose; cellulose nanocrystal; surface modification; Pickering emulsion; atom transfer radical polymerization; liquid crystal; phase change materials; microcapsule; bio-based polymers; catalysis; nanofillers, polysaccharides; interfacial solar steam generation; energy-saving buildings; coatings; superhydrophobic; self-assembly
Dr. Jin Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Interests: cellulose nanocrystals; surface molecular engineering; chemical modification methodology; nanocomposites; percolation; self-assembly; structural color; steric effects; advanced functional materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Huiyang Bian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
Interests: nanocellulose; cellulose nanofibril; lignocellulosic nanofibrils; surface modification; nanopaper; film; aerogel; ultraviolet shielding; cosmetic; polymer reinforcing; biodegradable polymers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocelluloses are cellulose with at least one dimension in nanoscale, including cellulose nanocrystal, cellulose nanofiber, and bacterial cellulose. Due to the fascinating properties (such as high aspect ratio, big specific surface area, biodegradable, biocompatible, renewable, low cost, outstanding mechanical strength, water dispersible, self-assembling to liquid crystal, etc.), nanocelluloses have been widely studied in the field of nanocomposites, polymer reinforcing, biodegradable polymers, aerogel, hydrogel, oil exploitation, water–oil separation, membrane materials, Pickering emulsions, catalysis, coatings, cosmetic, wastewater treatment, antibacterials, and so on.  Nanocelluloses have attracted extensive attention from both academia and industries, and the last two decades have witnessed the significant development of nanocelluloses. The large-scale production and broad commercialized applications of nanocellulose-based materials and products are expected in the next few years.

This Special Issue of Polymers (IF=4.329) welcomes the submission of original papers, communications, articles, and reviews in the field of nanocellulose-based materials and application, including but not limited to: (1) preparation and characterization of nanocellulose, (2) surface chemistry and modification of nanocellulose, (3) construction of nanocellulose-based materials, and (4) applications of nanocellulose-based materials and other related topics. The aim is to advance the understanding of fundamental and technological aspects of nanocellulose and facilitate the development and application of nanocellulose.

Dr. Zhen Zhang
Dr. Jin Huang
Dr. Huiyang Bian
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

  • nanocellulose
  • cellulose nanocrystal
  • cellulose nanofiber
  • bacterial cellulose
  • lignocellulose nanofiber

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 16028 KiB  
Article
A New Cellulose-Based Fluorescent Probe for Specific and Sensitive Detection of Cu2+ and Its Applications in the Analysis of Environmental Water
by Fei Zhao, Zhiyuan Meng, Zhonglong Wang and Yiqin Yang
Polymers 2022, 14(11), 2146; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14112146 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
In this work, a novel fluorescent probe CMC−GE−AQ with an effective sensitive detection ability for Cu2+ was synthesized and constructed by using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the skeleton and 8-aminoquinoline (AQ) as the fluorophore. This probe exhibited a highly specific “turn-off” fluorescence [...] Read more.
In this work, a novel fluorescent probe CMC−GE−AQ with an effective sensitive detection ability for Cu2+ was synthesized and constructed by using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the skeleton and 8-aminoquinoline (AQ) as the fluorophore. This probe exhibited a highly specific “turn-off” fluorescence response to Cu2+, and the fluorescence color changed from bright orange to colorless after adding Cu2+. The probe could selectively detect Cu2+ in a complex environment and its detection limit (LOD), the binding constant (Ka) and the numbers of binding sites (n) were calculated to be 6.4 × 10−8 mol L−1, 1.7 × 106 mol−1 L and 1.2, respectively. The sensing detection mechanism was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In addition, the probe CMC−GE−AQ was successfully applied to detect Cu2+ in real water samples, and CMC−GE−AQ-based fluorescent microspheres can serve as a convenient tool for the detection of Cu2+. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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12 pages, 2535 KiB  
Article
Improvement of Oil and Water Barrier Properties of Food Packaging Paper by Coating with Microcrystalline Wax Emulsion
by Dongyang Liu, Yuqing Duan, Shumei Wang, Murong Gong and Hongqi Dai
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1786; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091786 - 27 Apr 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4088
Abstract
Studies have shown that fluorinated oil repellents are potentially harmful to humans and the environment, and therefore, the development of non-toxic, green, and environmentally friendly oil repellents has become inevitable. Microcrystalline wax is a branched saturated alkane with a molecular weight of 580–700 [...] Read more.
Studies have shown that fluorinated oil repellents are potentially harmful to humans and the environment, and therefore, the development of non-toxic, green, and environmentally friendly oil repellents has become inevitable. Microcrystalline wax is a branched saturated alkane with a molecular weight of 580–700 Da, which has a lower surface tension than edible oil. Herein, microcrystalline wax emulsion (fluorine-free oil repellent) was prepared by mechanical stirring–homogenization, the effects of emulsifier ratio and dosage on the emulsion performance were systematically investigated, and the resultant stable microcrystalline wax emulsions were applied to the paper surface to explore the oil and water resistance and water vapor barrier performance. The results showed that stabilized microcrystalline wax emulsion was obtained at the emulsifier Span-80/Tween-80 ratio of 5:5, and the emulsifier dosage was 20% (relative to the microcrystalline wax). When 6 g/m2 of microcrystalline wax was applied to the surface of starch pretreated paper, the kit rating value of the paper was high, at up to 10/12, the Cobb60 value decreased to 12.5 g/m2, the overall migration of paper was less than 10 mg/dm2, and the water vapor permeability was reduced by 81.9%, which met the requirements of oil and water resistance performance of food packaging paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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9 pages, 8284 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Microporosity Dominant Wood-Based Activated Carbon Fiber for Removal of Copper Ions
by Zhi Jin, Zhen Zeng, Shenghui Hu, Lina Tang, Yuejin Fu and Guangjie Zhao
Polymers 2022, 14(6), 1088; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14061088 - 9 Mar 2022
Viewed by 1415
Abstract
Steam activation treatments were introduced in the preparation of activated carbon fiber from liquefied wood (LWACF), to enlarge its specific surface area and develop the pore size distribution. With increasing activation time, the average fiber diameter of LWACF decreased from 27.2 µm to [...] Read more.
Steam activation treatments were introduced in the preparation of activated carbon fiber from liquefied wood (LWACF), to enlarge its specific surface area and develop the pore size distribution. With increasing activation time, the average fiber diameter of LWACF decreased from 27.2 µm to 13.2 µm, while the specific surface area increased from 1025 to 2478 m2/g. Steam activation predominantly enhanced the development of microporosity, without significant pore widening. Prolonging the steam activation time exponentially increased the removal efficiency of Cu2+ at a constant adsorbent dose, as a result of an increase in the number of micropores and acidic-oxygenated groups. Moreover, for LWACF activated for 220 min at 800 °C, the removal efficiency of Cu2+ increased from 55.2% to 99.4%, when the porous carbon fiber dose went from 0.1 to 0.5 g/L. The synthesized LWACF was proven to be a highly efficient adsorbent for the treatment of Cu2+ ion-contaminated wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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14 pages, 12938 KiB  
Article
A Freestanding Chitin-Derived Hierarchical Nanocomposite for Developing Electrodes in Future Supercapacitor Industry
by Zheng Dong, Chen Chen, Kaihua Wen, Xiaoyi Zhao, Xihong Guo, Zhongzheng Zhou, Guangcai Chang, Yi Zhang and Yuhui Dong
Polymers 2022, 14(1), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14010195 - 4 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1958
Abstract
Crustacean cuticles are receiving extensive attention for its potential in developing environmentally friendly and high energy density electrodes for supercapacitor applications. In the current work, the demineralized tergite cuticle of mantis shrimp was employed as a precursor for the fabrication porous biochar. The [...] Read more.
Crustacean cuticles are receiving extensive attention for its potential in developing environmentally friendly and high energy density electrodes for supercapacitor applications. In the current work, the demineralized tergite cuticle of mantis shrimp was employed as a precursor for the fabrication porous biochar. The structural benefits of the cuticle, including the hierarchical nanofiber networks, and the interpenetrating pore systems were maximumly retained, providing a high carbon content and specific surface area scaffold. Graphene oxide sheets were deposited across the biochar through the pore canal systems to further increase the conductivity of the biochar, forming a novel freestanding carbon composite. Throughout the modification process, the material products were examined by a range of methods, which showed desired structural, chemical and functional properties. Our work demonstrates that high performance carbon materials can be manufactured using a simple and green process to realize the great potential in energy storage applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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16 pages, 2904 KiB  
Article
Effect of Length of Cellulose Nanofibers on Mechanical Reinforcement of Polyvinyl Alcohol
by Mengxia Wang, Xiaran Miao, Hui Li and Chunhai Chen
Polymers 2022, 14(1), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14010128 - 30 Dec 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2609
Abstract
Cellulose nanofibers (CNF), representing the nano-structured cellulose, have attained an extensive research attention due to their sustainability, biodegradability, nanoscale dimensions, large surface area, unique optical and mechanical performance, etc. Different lengths of CNF can lead to different extents of entanglements or network-like structures [...] Read more.
Cellulose nanofibers (CNF), representing the nano-structured cellulose, have attained an extensive research attention due to their sustainability, biodegradability, nanoscale dimensions, large surface area, unique optical and mechanical performance, etc. Different lengths of CNF can lead to different extents of entanglements or network-like structures through van der Waals forces. In this study, a series of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films, reinforced with CNF of different lengths, were fabricated via conventional solvent casting technique. CNF were extracted from jute fibers by tuning the dosage of sodium hypochlorite during the TEMPO-mediated oxidation. The mechanical properties and thermal behavior were observed to be significantly improved, while the optical transparency decreased slightly (Tr. > 75%). Interestingly, the PVA/CNF20 nanocomposite films exhibited higher tensile strength of 34.22 MPa at 2 wt% filler loading than the PVA/CNF10 (32.55 MPa) while displayed higher elastic modulus of 482.75 MPa than the PVA/CNF20 films (405.80 MPa). Overall, the findings reported in this study provide a novel, simple and inexpensive approach for preparing the high-performance polymer nanocomposites with tunable mechanical properties, reinforced with an abundant and renewable material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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10 pages, 42121 KiB  
Article
Chiral Nematic Cellulose Nanocrystal Films Cooperated with Amino Acids for Tunable Optical Properties
by Xiao Xiao, Jie Chen, Zhe Ling, Jiaqi Guo, Jianbin Huang, Jianfeng Ma and Zhi Jin
Polymers 2021, 13(24), 4389; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13244389 - 15 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2899
Abstract
The exploration of functional materials relies greatly on the understanding of material structures and nanotechnologies. In the present work, chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films were prepared by incorporation with four types of amino acids (AAs, glycine, histidine, phenylalanine, and serine) via evaporation-induced [...] Read more.
The exploration of functional materials relies greatly on the understanding of material structures and nanotechnologies. In the present work, chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films were prepared by incorporation with four types of amino acids (AAs, glycine, histidine, phenylalanine, and serine) via evaporation-induced self-assembly. The films present ideal iridescence and birefringence that can be tuned by the amount of AAs added. The intercalation of AAs enlarged the pitch values, contributing to the red-shift trend of the reflective wavelength. Among the AAs, serine presented the most compatible intercalation into cellulose crystals. Interestingly, histidine and phenylalanine composite films showed high shielding capabilities of UV light in diverse wavelength regions, exhibiting multi-optical functions. The sustainable preparation of chiral nematic CNC films may provide new strategies for materials production from biocompatible lignocellulose. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 3668 KiB  
Article
Molecular Weight Distribution and Dissolution Behavior of Lignin in Alkaline Solutions
by Jie Yang, Mengya Sun, Liang Jiao and Hongqi Dai
Polymers 2021, 13(23), 4166; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13234166 - 28 Nov 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2409
Abstract
Lignin, as the sole renewable aromatic resource in nature, has great potential for replacing fossil resources. However, the complexity of its structure limits its high value utilization, and the molecular weight distribution and dissolution behavior of lignin in alkaline solutions is still unclear. [...] Read more.
Lignin, as the sole renewable aromatic resource in nature, has great potential for replacing fossil resources. However, the complexity of its structure limits its high value utilization, and the molecular weight distribution and dissolution behavior of lignin in alkaline solutions is still unclear. In this study, a conventional lignin separation during the pulping process in an alkaline hydrothermal system was performed by controlling the amount of NaOH, reaction temperature and holding time. Various analysis methods, including GPC, 2D–HSQC NMR and FTIR were used to study the characteristics of lignin fragments dissolved from wood. We were aiming to understand the rule of lignin dissolution and the recondensation mechanism during the process. The results showed dissolution of lignin due to ether bond fracturing by OH− attacking the Cα or Cβ positions of the side chain with penetration of NaOH, and the lignin fragments in solution recondensed into complex lignin with more stable C–C bonds. The experimental results also prove that the average molecular weight increased from 4337 g/mol to 11,036 g/mol and that holding time from 60 min to 120 min at 150 °C with 14 wt% of NaOH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocellulose Based Materials and Applications)
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