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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Bacterial Cellulose Spheres that Encapsulate Solid Materials
Published on: February 26, 2021
Fast Approach to the Hydrophobization of Bacterial Cellulose via the Direct Polymerization of Ethyl 2-Cyanoacrylate
Irina Sulaeva1, Philipp Vejdovszky1, Marco Beaumont1
1Department of Chemistry , University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU University) , Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24 , A-3430 Tulln , Austria.
Abstract:
Bacterial cellulose (BC) has a broad range of applications in biomedical fields and cosmetics. Applied as wound dressing, BC tends to stick to the sore especially upon drying, and hydrophobization improves its performance in this regard. This article reports a facile and rapid yet a highly efficient approach for BC hydrophobization through direct polymerization of ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate on the BC fibers. The modified material preserves the favorable porous structure of the matrix material while displaying significantly higher hydrophobicity and significantly decreased stickiness to the wound. The BC surface can be modified in 15 min. Overall, this can be considered a ready-to-apply approach for the fabrication of BC wound dressings with enhanced performance. The modification was demonstrated to improve the material's biocompatibility and to introduce antimicrobial activity (immortalized human fibroblast assay).
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