A tunable alkaline/oxidative process for cellulose nanofibrils exhibiting different morphological, crystalline...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomass Conversion
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is an abundant agricultural waste.
• Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) are advanced nanomaterials with diverse applications.
• Efficient conversion of SCB into tailored CNF is desirable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and efficient two-step alkali/oxidation process for converting SCB into CNF.
• To characterize the structural and morphological properties of the resulting CNF.
• To demonstrate the control over CNF polymorphism and morphology through process parameter variation.

Main Methods:

• Two-step process: alkali treatment followed by oxidation.
• Alkali treatment with varying NaOH concentrations (10-16 wt%).
• Oxidative treatment with varying NaClO concentrations.
• Characterization using SR-WAXS, IR, TEM, and DLS.

Main Results:

• Conversion of SCB to cellulose II (up to >99%) with increasing NaOH concentration.
• Increased fiber crystallinity index from 32% to 61% with higher NaOH concentrations.
• Controlled CNF morphology (length from micrometers to nanometers) by varying NaClO concentration.

Conclusions:

• A facile two-step alkali/oxidation process effectively converts SCB into CNF.
• The process allows precise control over CNF polymorphic and morphological characteristics.
• This method enables economic and reproducible production of nanostructured CNF for various applications.