Over the years, the use of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) as an additive to improve materials properties has been increased widely, due to a successful combination among the characteristics conferred by the nanoscale and the intrinsic properties of the cellulose.1 Nowadays, the main source for CNF is bleached cellulose pulp. These CNFs are characterized by the subtraction of lignin and hemicelluloses by chemical treatments. The removal of those cell wall components has proven to improve the visco-elastic properties of the fibers. However, the presence of residual lignin in raw materials from the production of CNF might hold several benefits; some of the proved advantages are the reduction of dewatering time and oxygen permeability of films.2 Additionally, using unbleached cellulose pulp to produce lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (L-CNF) it is possible to obtain higher production yields3 while reducing costs, due to the lower energy consumption during the manufacture process. The main objective of this project is to understand how lignin content can affect the properties of the CNFs, aiming on the modulation of these properties for the final applications as L-CNF are incorporated in the materials. The difference of interactions among CNF films and water as well as the viscoelastic properties were studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D), TA rheometer instrument, and Surface Contact Angle (SCA). Also, the surface chemistry and stability of the CNFs were evaluated with Z-potential, and the morphology of the samples was analyzed using AFM, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

The role of residual lignin in lignin containing cellulose nanofibrils (L-CNF)

255th National Meeting (2018)

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