Cellulose in the form of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) is a great emulsifier. MCC, in particular, has been used as an emulsifier in its colloidal form. Hydrophobized MFC were shown to stabilise water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions. Cellulose fibrils produced by bacteria are of particular interest as bacterial cellulose is naturally synthesised as nanomaterial (25-100 nm in diameter, several micrometres in length) and is highly crystalline in nature. Neat bacterial cellulose can be used to stabilise oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions. We will show the versatility of cellulose fibrils to be used as emulsifier. The properties of (w/o) emulsions stabilised by hydrophobised bacterial cellulose nanofibrils will be presented. Such emulsions exhibit a time dependent behaviour. The maximum phase volume ratio of the emulsions at the point of catastrophic phase separation increased with time form 50 vol.-% to as high as 82 vol.-%. Furthermore, hydrophobized BC w/o emulsions can be reversibly destabilised and reformed, and this repeatedly.

Cellulose fibril emulsifiers: Interesting and versatile

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.