Cellulose microfibrils (3 nm wide, 1-2 µm long) can be obtained from vegetable waste by chemical pulping and mechanical treatment, the resulting material is referred to as nanocellulose. Considering the properties of primary plant cell walls, nanocellulose is a potential building block for fabrication of strong, water impermeable and biodegradable materials. Indeed, at the nanoscale, cellulose has properties similar to kevlar. However, the challenge of fabricating strong bulk materials from nanocellulose lies in the low degree of entanglement between microfibrils which limits their cohesion in wet and dry states. Here we aim to solve this problem by cross-linking microfibrils via hemicelluloses. I will present initial results on the interaction between feruloylated arabinoxylan and nanocellulose. Main methods used for characterization are dynamic rheology and UV-vis spectroscopy.

Interaction between feruloylated arabinoxylan and nanocellulose: Effect on bulk rheological and material properties

2019 Spring National Meeting

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