Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, West 5th, 744, Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8, Saiwaicho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Dec 1;321:121311. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121311. Epub 2023 Aug 17.
The present study attempts to elucidate the network structure-property relationships of bacterial cellulose (BC) hydrogels comprising cellulose nanofibrils with favorable mechanical properties. To achieve this, it is necessary to establish a method based on quantitative evaluation of nanofibril network structure, rather than a simple application of classical polymer network theory. BC hydrogels with various network structures related to their mechanical properties were prepared from seven bacterial strains. The crosslink densities of the gels were determined quantitatively by a combination of fluorescence microscopy and image analysis. The tensile tests showed that the stress-strain curves of BC hydrogels exhibited strain hardening according to the power law for strain, and the power exponent had a linear relationship with the crosslink density. This result provides insight into the structure-property relationships of BC hydrogels, which could be used to inform quality control, process optimization, and high-throughput property prediction during manufacture.
本研究旨在阐明具有良好机械性能的纤维素纳米纤维组成的细菌纤维素 (BC) 水凝胶的网络结构-性能关系。为此，有必要建立一种基于定量评估纳米纤维网络结构的方法，而不是简单地应用经典的聚合物网络理论。本研究从七种细菌菌株中制备了具有各种与机械性能相关的网络结构的 BC 水凝胶。通过荧光显微镜和图像分析的组合，定量确定了凝胶的交联密度。拉伸试验表明，BC 水凝胶的应力-应变曲线根据应变的幂律表现出应变硬化，而幂指数与交联密度呈线性关系。这一结果为 BC 水凝胶的结构-性能关系提供了深入的了解，这可用于指导制造过程中的质量控制、工艺优化和高通量性能预测。
