Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are high aspect-ratio, low-cost nanoparticles of renewable nature that account for outstanding mechanical properties, resulting on an interesting component for a large variety of nanomaterials. CNCs have traditionally been isolated via hydrochloric (H-CNCs) or sulfuric acid (S-CNCs) hydrolysis, leading to nanoparticles with an unmodified (H-CNCs) or sulfated (S-CNCs) surface. Due to the large amount of hydroxyl groups present on their surface, H-CNCs tend to aggregate easily being often difficult to disperse. While the introduction of a small amount of sulfate moieties on the surface of the nanoparticles (S-CNCs) results on the generation of ionic repulsive forces that aid on the dispersion of the particles, these ones, suffer of a lower thermal stability that limits their applicability.<br/><br/>We introduced a novel protocol for the isolation of CNCs via phosphoric acid hydrolysis (P-CNCs) that leads to nanoparticles with a slightly phosphorylated surface (10.8 ± 2.7 mmol/kg cellulose) that are thermally more stable and readily dispersable in polar solvents. Moreover, we show that these nanoparticles are not only attractive for the fabrication of reinforced materials but are also capable of nucleating the formation of hydroxyapatite in-vitro under physiological conditions. Thus, P-CNCs appear as an interesting component for the fabrication of scaffold biomaterials for cartilage and bone tissue engineering applications.<br/>

Phosphated cellulose nanocrystas: Isolation and bioengineering applications

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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