Molecular Dynamics Study of Cellulose Nanofiber Alignment under an Electric Field

The alignment of cellulose by an electric field is an interesting subject for cellulose material processing and its applications. This paper reports an atomistic molecular dynamics simulation of the crystalline cellulose nanofiber (CNF) model in varying electric field directions and strengths. GROMACS software was used to study crystalline cellulose 1β consisting of 18 chains in an aqueous environment at room temperature, and an electric field was applied along the cellulose chain direction and the perpendicular direction with varying field strength. The root-mean-square displacement, radius of gyration, end-to-end length, and hydrogen bond population of the crystalline CNF model were analyzed to determine the effects of the applied electric field on the structure of the CNF model. The results suggest that the nanosecond electric field can induce the orientation of the CNF along the applied electric field direction. The alignment rate and ability to maintain the alignment depend on the electric field strength. Analysis of the radius of gyration, end-to-end length, and bond lengths for intrachain and interchain hydrogen bonds revealed no significant effect on the cellulose structure. Cellulose alignment in an electric field has the potential to broaden the design of electric field-induced processing techniques for cellulose filaments, thin films, and electro-active cellulose composites.