Huang Chen, Zhan Yunni, Hao Xin, Wang Zimeng, Li Mi, Meng Xianzhi, Fang Guigan, Ragauskas Arthur J
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Materials, Nanjing 210042, China; Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Materials, Nanjing 210042, China; Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2020 Dec 15;165(Pt B):3198-3205. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.10.162. Epub 2020 Oct 24.
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) foams have recently gained research interests because they are renewable, abundant, biodegradable and exhibit high surface area. However, the application of CNCs-based foams is still challenging, which is attributed to its lack of effective entanglements between the CNCs particles, thus lowering foam properties. In this study, a synergistic enhancement strategy was proposed, based on the in situ mineralization with hydroxyapatite (HAP) layer onto the CNCs surface, followed by a chemical crosslinking reaction. The physical and chemical structures of the composites were analyzed with SEM, STEM, XRD, FTIR, and TGA. By controlling the amount of coated HAP and the crosslinker, it is possible to manufacture a series of CNCs-based foams that are lightweight (50-75 mg/cm), highly porous (~90%) with high water absorption (>1300%) and outstanding mechanical strength properties (as high as 1.37 MPa). Moreover, our study further indicated that these CNCs/HAP materials could increase the proliferation of rat osteoblast cells. The method developed in this study presents a novel approach to design improved networked CNCs foam, which has the potential to be used in thermal-retardant material, wastewater treatment, tissue engineering, and personal care applications.
纤维素纳米晶体（CNCs）泡沫材料近来受到了研究关注，因为它们可再生、储量丰富、可生物降解且具有高比表面积。然而，基于CNCs的泡沫材料的应用仍具有挑战性，这归因于CNCs颗粒之间缺乏有效的缠结，从而降低了泡沫性能。在本研究中，提出了一种协同增强策略，即先在CNCs表面原位矿化羟基磷灰石（HAP）层，然后进行化学交联反应。用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、扫描透射电子显微镜（STEM）、X射线衍射仪（XRD）、傅里叶变换红外光谱仪（FTIR）和热重分析仪（TGA）对复合材料的物理和化学结构进行了分析。通过控制包覆的HAP和交联剂的用量，可以制造出一系列基于CNCs的泡沫材料，这些材料重量轻（50 - 75毫克/立方厘米）、孔隙率高（约90%）、吸水性强（>1300%）且具有出色的机械强度性能（高达1.37兆帕）。此外，我们的研究进一步表明，这些CNCs/HAP材料可以促进大鼠成骨细胞的增殖。本研究中开发的方法为设计改进的网络化CNCs泡沫提供了一种新途径，其有潜力用于热阻材料、废水处理、组织工程和个人护理应用。
