Membrane systems with biocompatible, biodegradable and tunable nature are required in technological fields ranging from water purification to biosensors and analytics. Wood-based cellulose nanofibrils are intriguing building blocks for such materials due to their inherent characteristics, such as high aspect ratio, strong film-forming tendency and numerous reactive groups. Reactive groups on fibril and film surfaces can be used for customizing the surface of the membrane material by chemical modification, to match the performance requirements of each membrane application. Chemical pathways for attaching thermoresponsive poly(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) directly on cellulose nanofibrils and on film surfaces were developed. Effects of surface modification on the fibril and film characteristics were evaluated using surface-sensitive methods. The surface modification routes developed here enable the use of cellulose nanofibrils as templates for functional membranes.

Cellulose nanofibrils as templates for stimuli-responsive membrane materials

251st National Meeting (2016)

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