Cellulose-based natural resources have been used for centuries by man, but their importance has resurfaced with the possibility of creating new eco-friendly nano-materials that could find applications in many fields such as medicine, electronics and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this study was the extraction and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC’s) using as raw material bamboo, <i>Bambusa vulgaris</i>, grown in Puerto Rico. The extraction process was based in the acid hydrolysis of the delignificated and bleached bamboo pulp. The final material was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), spectroscopies. A final stable aqueous suspension of CNC containing 0.08% of solid material was obtained. FTIR analysis of the freeze dried material showed that hemicellulose and lignin were removed. The crystals have a rod-like structure with an average size of 1144 nm long and 250 nm wide, for an aspect ratio of 4.8. Our results suggest that the bamboo that grows in Puerto Rico is a suitable source for extraction of cellulose nano-crystals. A more detailed description of extraction and characterization is presented in this work.

Extraction and characterization of cellulose nano crystals (CNC) from bamboo (<i>Bambusa vulgaris</i>) grown in Puerto Rico

251st National Meeting (2016)

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Extraction and characterization of cellulose nano crystals (CNC) from bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) grown in Puerto Rico