Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from jackfruit peel

In the present work, sustainable nanomaterials, cellulose, and spherical cellulose nanocrystals (SCNCs) were isolated from the non-edible parts of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). Of the three different methods tested, sodium chlorite treatment produced the highest yield of cellulose, 20.08 ± 0.05% w/w (dry weight). Peaks observed in CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectrum and FTIR frequencies revealed the presence of α-cellulose and absence of other biomass fractions like hemicellulose and lignin. XRD analysis showed a high crystallinity of 83.42%. An appearance of a sharp endothermal peak at 323 °C in DSC and decomposition patterns between 310-420 °C of TGA confirms the presence of cellulose. Further, Sulphuric acid hydrolysis was employed to produce SCNCs and examined by TEM for the morphology and by HPLC for the presence of glucose.