Esterification of nanocellulose with ferulic acid: A sustainable approach towards robust antibacterial material

The growing demand for sustainable and renewable materials has intensified interest in cellulose, a natural, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly polymer. In this study, nanocellulose (NC) was synthesised from agricultural waste corn husk and surface-functionalized via esterification with ferulic acid (FA) to enhance its biological properties. The successful formation of NC was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). At the same time, its morphology and crystallinity were characterised using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). FTIR analysis and solid-state ¹³C Nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR) confirmed the effective esterification of ferulic acid onto the NC surface. The ferulic acid-modified nanocellulose (F-NC) exhibited synergistic interactions between NC and FA, resulting in significantly enhanced antibacterial activity compared to unmodified NC, with inhibition zones of Bacillus subtilis (21.00 ± 1.00 mm), Escherichia coli (17.66 ± 0.57 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (17.66 ± 0.57 mm), Salmonella typhi (20.66 ± 1.15 mm), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.00 ± 1.00 mm). Furthermore, in silico molecular docking studies revealed strong binding affinities of F-NC with key proteins involved in wound healing, TGF-β receptor (-12.3 kcal/mol), MAPK13 (-10.4 kcal/mol), and TNF-α (-11.0 kcal/mol)indicating its potential in modulating wound repair pathways. These results suggest that F-NC serves as a promising dual-functional biopolymer with applications in both infection control and tissue regeneration, offering an eco-friendly solution for advanced biomedical and material science applications.