1
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Li J, Wang Z, Wang P, Tian J, Liu T, Guo J, Zhu W, Khan MR, Xiao H, Song J. On rheological properties of disc-shaped cellulose nanocrystals. Carbohydr Polym 2024; 330:121764. [PMID: 38368079 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The rheological properties of a substance depend greatly on its morphology, and rod-shaped cellulose nanocrystals (RCNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have been extensively studied for their rheological properties. Nevertheless, the rheological properties of disc-shaped cellulose nanocrystals (DCNCs) with crystalline allomorph II derived from mercerized cellulose remain unknown yet. This work investigated the DCNCs' rheological properties in depth using steady-shear and oscillation measurements. At the same concentration, DCNC's suspension viscosity is lower than that of RCNC; RCNC has an instinct viscosity of 258.2, while DCNC has 187.9. Comparing RCNC suspensions with cellulose nanorods, DCNC has a lower aspect ratio and exhibits a distinct steady shear behavior. Under polarized film, DCNC suspension cannot self-assemble into chiral or liquid crystal phases, and with increasing concentrations, the system transitions from an isotropic phase to a gel phase. Oscillation sweeps demonstrate that the gel transition occurs at 7 %-8 %. Based on thixotropic recovery sweep outcomes, the high-stress oscillations enhance the network structure of DCNC suspensions, which is significantly different from that of RCNC suspensions. Results demonstrate the unique properties of DCNC, highlighting its application as a rheological modifier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimin Li
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Zixin Wang
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Peipei Wang
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Jing Tian
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Tian Liu
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Jiaqi Guo
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Wenyuan Zhu
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Mohammad Rizwan Khan
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huining Xiao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Junlong Song
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
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2
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Xu Y, Gilbert EP, Sokolova A, Stokes JR. Phase transition and gelation in cellulose nanocrystal-based aqueous suspensions studied by SANS. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 658:660-670. [PMID: 38134674 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.12.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Aqueous suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) form a re-entrant liquid crystal (LC) phase with increasing salinity. Phase separation occurs in this LC state leading to a biphasic gel with a flow programmable structure that can be used to form anisotropic soft materials. We term this state a Liquid Crystal Hydroglass (LCH). Defining the mechanisms by which the LCH forms requires detailed structural analysis at the mesoscopic length scale. EXPERIMENTS By utilising Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), we investigated the microstructure transitions in CNC suspensions, with a particular focus on the unique LC re-entrancy and gelation into the biphasic LCH. FINDINGS Scattering from LCH gels comprises contributions from a dispersed liquid state and static heterogeneity, characterised using a Lorentzian-Gaussian model of inhomogeneity. This conceptually supports a gelation mechanism (spinodal decomposition) in CNC suspensions towards a biphasic structure of the LCH. It also demonstrates that, with increasing salinity, the non-monotonic variation in effective volume fraction of CNC rods fundamentally causes the LC re-entrancy. This work provides the first experimental characterisation of the LC-re-entrancy and formation of an anisotropic LCH gel. The proposed mechanism can be extended to understanding the general behaviour of anisotropic colloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
| | - Elliot P Gilbert
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, ANSTO, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, 2234, Australia
| | - Anna Sokolova
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, ANSTO, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, 2234, Australia
| | - Jason R Stokes
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
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3
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Frka-Petesic B, Parton TG, Honorato-Rios C, Narkevicius A, Ballu K, Shen Q, Lu Z, Ogawa Y, Haataja JS, Droguet BE, Parker RM, Vignolini S. Structural Color from Cellulose Nanocrystals or Chitin Nanocrystals: Self-Assembly, Optics, and Applications. Chem Rev 2023; 123:12595-12756. [PMID: 38011110 PMCID: PMC10729353 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Widespread concerns over the impact of human activity on the environment have resulted in a desire to replace artificial functional materials with naturally derived alternatives. As such, polysaccharides are drawing increasing attention due to offering a renewable, biodegradable, and biocompatible feedstock for functional nanomaterials. In particular, nanocrystals of cellulose and chitin have emerged as versatile and sustainable building blocks for diverse applications, ranging from mechanical reinforcement to structural coloration. Much of this interest arises from the tendency of these colloidally stable nanoparticles to self-organize in water into a lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal, which can be readily manipulated in terms of its periodicity, structure, and geometry. Importantly, this helicoidal ordering can be retained into the solid-state, offering an accessible route to complex nanostructured films, coatings, and particles. In this review, the process of forming iridescent, structurally colored films from suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) is summarized and the mechanisms underlying the chemical and physical phenomena at each stage in the process explored. Analogy is then drawn with chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs), allowing for key differences to be critically assessed and strategies toward structural coloration to be presented. Importantly, the progress toward translating this technology from academia to industry is summarized, with unresolved scientific and technical questions put forward as challenges to the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Frka-Petesic
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
- International
Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Thomas G. Parton
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Camila Honorato-Rios
- Department
of Sustainable and Bio-inspired Materials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Aurimas Narkevicius
- B
CUBE − Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Kevin Ballu
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Qingchen Shen
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Zihao Lu
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Yu Ogawa
- CERMAV-CNRS,
CS40700, 38041 Grenoble cedex 9, France
| | - Johannes S. Haataja
- Department
of Applied Physics, Aalto University School
of Science, P.O. Box
15100, Aalto, Espoo FI-00076, Finland
| | - Benjamin E. Droguet
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Richard M. Parker
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Vignolini
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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4
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Browne C, Raghuwanshi VS, Garnier G, Batchelor W. Modulating the chiral nematic structure of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions with electrolytes. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 650:1064-1072. [PMID: 37459730 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS The iridescent optical properties of films made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are controlled by the pitch and range of the chiral nematic structures. These are further tuned with the addition of electrolyte. EXPERIMENTS Electrolyte type, valency and concentration were varied. The bulk CNC suspension properties were investigated by combining rheology, polarised optical photography and microscopy, while the spacing between crystals was determined using SAXS. FINDINGS The addition of electrolyte to a CNC suspension containing chiral nematic structures first causes the nematic pitch to increase indicating the suspension has a weaker structure. Further increases in electrolyte concentration cause aggregation and complete breakdown of the chiral nematic structures. The univalent species cause larger changes to the chiral nematic structure with the onset and magnitude of structure breakdown occurring at lower ionic strengths compared with the divalent species. Cation size influences the chiral nematic structure with the order of influence being K+ > Na+ ≈ Ca2+ > Mg2+, which corresponds from the largest to smallest cation. This work demonstrates that both ion valency, concentration and species play a significant role in controlling the chiral nematic structures of CNC suspensions and will be a vital step in the development of CNC liquid crystals, optical materials and sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Browne
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Vikram Singh Raghuwanshi
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Gil Garnier
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Warren Batchelor
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
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5
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Lin M, Raghuwanshi VS, Browne C, Simon GP, Garnier G. Tailoring the humidity response of cellulose nanocrystal-based films by specific ion effects. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 629:694-704. [PMID: 36183648 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.09.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS The optical properties and humidity response of iridescent films made of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) can be tailored by the incorporation of electrolytes chosen based on specific ion effects (SIE). EXPERIMENTS A series of inorganic salts comprising five different cations and five anions based on the Hofmeister series were mixed with CNC/PEG suspensions, followed by an air-dried process into iridescent solid films. These films were tested in changing relative humidity (RH) environments from 30% to 90% and their photonic properties and mass change monitored. The underlying structures and the mechanism of their formation were quantified in terms of interparticle distance derived from small angle X-ray scattering experiment and pitch size quantified by scanning electron microscope (SEM). FINDINGS The specific color and color range of CNC/PEG based films are controlled by a specific anion effect achieved by selection of the salt while the specific cation effect is negligible. The salting-in type anions with the same valency result in a red-shift color when films are in the dried state. The salting-in type leads to a greater color changing range during RH changes than the salting-out type. The resultant mass gain/loss trend is consistent with the color change. In contrast, cations do not show any relationships between salting-in effect and the measured properties as observed for anions. The observed SIE can be used to engineer CNC/polymer-based humidity and bio-diagnostic colorimetric indicator devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maoqi Lin
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Vikram Singh Raghuwanshi
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Christine Browne
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - George P Simon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Gil Garnier
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
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6
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Carboxylated cellulose nanocrystal films with tunable chiroptical properties. Carbohydr Polym 2022; 289:119442. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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7
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Morlet-Decarnin L, Divoux T, Manneville S. Slow dynamics and time–composition superposition in gels of cellulose nanocrystals. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:214901. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0085660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are rodlike biosourced colloidal particles used as key building blocks in a growing number of materials with innovative mechanical or optical properties. While CNCs form stable suspensions at low volume fractions in pure water, they aggregate in the presence of salt and form colloidal gels with time-dependent properties. Here, we study the impact of salt concentration on the slow aging dynamics of CNC gels following the cessation of a high-shear flow that fully fluidizes the sample. We show that the higher the salt content, the faster the recovery of elasticity upon flow cessation. Most remarkably, the elastic modulus G′ obeys a time–composition superposition principle: the temporal evolution of G′ can be rescaled onto a universal sigmoidal master curve spanning 13 orders of magnitude in time for a wide range of salt concentrations. Such a rescaling is obtained through a time-shift factor that follows a steep power-law decay with increasing salt concentration until it saturates at large salt content. These findings are robust to changes in the type of salt and the CNC content. We further show that both linear and nonlinear rheological properties of CNC gels of various compositions, including, e.g., the frequency-dependence of viscoelastic spectra and the yield strain, can be rescaled based on the sample age along the general master curve. Our results provide strong evidence for universality in the aging dynamics of CNC gels and call for microstructural investigations during recovery as well as theoretical modeling of time–composition superposition in rodlike colloids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thibaut Divoux
- ENSL, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique, F-69342 Lyon, France
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8
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Wang T, Meng X, Lu S, Ma T, Hu X, Song Y. The preparation of cellulose nanocrystal/1,
3
‐butylene glycol composite structural color films and humidity‐responsive. J Appl Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/app.52645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tianhui Wang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing China
- National Engineering Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables Processing Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Ministry of Agriculture Beijing China
| | - Xiangnan Meng
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing China
- National Engineering Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables Processing Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Ministry of Agriculture Beijing China
| | - Shuyu Lu
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing China
- National Engineering Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables Processing Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Ministry of Agriculture Beijing China
| | - Tao Ma
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing China
- National Engineering Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables Processing Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Ministry of Agriculture Beijing China
| | - Xinna Hu
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing China
- National Engineering Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables Processing Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Ministry of Agriculture Beijing China
| | - Yi Song
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University Beijing China
- National Engineering Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables Processing Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Ministry of Agriculture Beijing China
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9
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Magnani C, Fazilati M, Kádár R, Idström A, Evenäs L, Raquez JM, Lo Re G. Green Topochemical Esterification Effects on the Supramolecular Structure of Chitin Nanocrystals: Implications for Highly Stable Pickering Emulsions. ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS 2022; 5:4731-4743. [PMID: 35492439 PMCID: PMC9039965 DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.1c03708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
In nature, chitin is organized in hierarchical structures composed of nanoscale building blocks that show outstanding mechanical and optical properties attractive for nanomaterial design. For applications that benefit from a maximized interface such as nanocomposites and Pickering emulsions, individualized chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) are of interest. However, when extracted in water suspension, their individualization is affected by ChNC self-assembly, requiring a large amount of water (above 90%) for ChNC transport and stock, which limits their widespread use. To master their individualization upon drying and after regeneration, we herein report a waterborne topochemical one-pot acid hydrolysis/Fischer esterification to extract ChNCs from chitin and simultaneously decorate their surface with lactate or butyrate moieties. Controlled reaction conditions were designed to obtain nanocrystals of a comparable aspect ratio of about 30 and a degree of modification of about 30% of the ChNC surface, under the rationale to assess the only effect of the topochemistry on ChNC supramolecular organization. The rheological analysis coupled with polarized light imaging shows how the nematic structuring is hindered by both surface ester moieties. The increased viscosity and elasticity of the modified ChNC colloids indicate a gel-like phase, where typical ChNC clusters of liquid crystalline phases are disrupted. Pickering emulsions have been prepared from lyophilized nanocrystals as a proof of concept. Our results demonstrate that only the emulsions stabilized by the modified ChNCs have excellent stability over time, highlighting that their individualization can be regenerated from the dry state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Magnani
- Laboratory
of Polymeric and Composite Materials (LPCM), Center of Innovation
and Research in Materials & Polymers (CIRMAP), University of Mons (UMONS), B-7000 Mons, Belgium
- Laboratory
of Proteomics and Microbiology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons (UMONS), B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Mina Fazilati
- Department
of Industrial and Materials Science IMS, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Roland Kádár
- Department
of Industrial and Materials Science IMS, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg
Wood Science Center (WWSC), Chalmers University
of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alexander Idström
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers
University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lars Evenäs
- Wallenberg
Wood Science Center (WWSC), Chalmers University
of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers
University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jean-Marie Raquez
- Laboratory
of Polymeric and Composite Materials (LPCM), Center of Innovation
and Research in Materials & Polymers (CIRMAP), University of Mons (UMONS), B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Giada Lo Re
- Department
of Industrial and Materials Science IMS, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg
Wood Science Center (WWSC), Chalmers University
of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
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10
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Emerging Developments on Nanocellulose as Liquid Crystals: A Biomimetic Approach. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14081546. [PMID: 35458295 PMCID: PMC9025541 DOI: 10.3390/polym14081546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomimetics is the field of obtaining ideas from nature that can be applied in science, engineering, and medicine. The usefulness of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and their excellent characteristics in biomimetic applications are exciting and promising areas of present and future research. CNCs are bio-based nanostructured material that can be isolated from several natural biomasses. The CNCs are one-dimensional with a high aspect ratio. They possess high crystalline order and high chirality when they are allowed to assemble in concentrated dispersions. Recent studies have demonstrated that CNCs possess remarkable optical and chemical properties that can be used to fabricate liquid crystals. Research is present in the early stage to develop CNC-based solvent-free liquid crystals that behave like both crystalline solids and liquids and exhibit the phenomenon of birefringence in anisotropic media. All these characteristics are beneficial for several biomimetic applications. Moreover, the films of CNC show the property of iridescent colors, making it suitable for photonic applications in various devices, such as electro-optical devices and flat panel displays.
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11
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Peng Y, Via B. The Effect of Cellulose Nanocrystal Suspension Treatment on Suspension Viscosity and Casted Film Property. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13132168. [PMID: 34209018 PMCID: PMC8271955 DOI: 10.3390/polym13132168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have attracted significant interest in different industrial sectors. Many applications have been developed and more are being explored. Pre-treatment of the suspension plays a critical role for different applications. In this study, different pre-treatment methods, including homogenization, ultrasonication, and mixing with a magnetic stirrer were applied to a CNC suspension. After treatment, the rheological behaviors of the treated CNC suspensions were characterized using a rotational viscometer. The treated suspensions were then used to cast films for characterization by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR). All the CNC suspensions demonstrated a shear thinning phenomena. Homogenization or ultrasonication significantly decreased the suspension viscosity compared with the suspension mixed by a magnetic stirrer. The viscosity of CNC suspension changed with time after treatment and settlement of treated CNC suspensions in room conditions increased the viscosity dramatically with time. Different UV and visible light interferences were observed for the CNC films generated from suspensions treated by different methods. The degree of crystallinity of the CNC films evaluated by FT-NIR showed that the film from suspension treated by homogenization and ultrasonication has the highest degree of crystallinity. Pre-treatments of CNC suspension affected the suspension viscosities and formed film properties.
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12
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Calabrese V, Varchanis S, Haward SJ, Tsamopoulos J, Shen AQ. Structure-property relationship of a soft colloidal glass in simple and mixed flows. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 601:454-466. [PMID: 34126412 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.05.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Under specific conditions, rod-like cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) can assemble into structurally ordered soft glasses (SGs) with anisotropy that can be controlled by applying shear. However, to achieve full structural control of SGs in real industrial processes, their response to mixed shear and extensional kinematics needs to be determined. We hypothesise that by knowing the shear rheology of the CNC-based soft glass and adopting a suitable constitutive model, it is possible to predict the structure-property relationship of the SG under mixed flows. EXPERIMENTS We use an aqueous suspension with 2 wt% CNC at 25 mM NaCl to form a structurally ordered SG composed of a CNC network containing nematic domains. We combine rheometry and microfluidic experiments with numerical simulations to study the flow properties of the SG in shear, extension, and mixed flow conditions. Extensional flow is investigated in the Optimised Shape Cross-slot Extensional Rheometer (OSCER), where the SG is exposed to shear-free planar elongation. Mixed flow kinematics are investigated in a benchmark microfluidic cylinder device (MCD) where the SG flows past a confined cylinder in a microchannel. FINDINGS The SG in the MCD displays a velocity overshoot (negative wake) and a pronounced CNC alignment downstream of the cylinder. Simulations using the thixotropic elasto-visco-plastic (TEVP) model yield near quantitative agreement of the velocity profiles in simple and mixed flows and capture the structural fingerprint of the material. Our results provide a comprehensive link between the structural behaviour of a CNC-based SG and its mechanistic properties, laying foundations for the development of functional, built-to-order soft materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Calabrese
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Stylianos Varchanis
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan; Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Rheology, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Patras 26500, Greece
| | - Simon J Haward
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - John Tsamopoulos
- Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Rheology, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Patras 26500, Greece
| | - Amy Q Shen
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
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13
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Kádár R, Spirk S, Nypelö T. Cellulose Nanocrystal Liquid Crystal Phases: Progress and Challenges in Characterization Using Rheology Coupled to Optics, Scattering, and Spectroscopy. ACS NANO 2021; 15:7931-7945. [PMID: 33756078 PMCID: PMC8158857 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c09829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) self-assemble and can be flow-assembled to liquid crystalline orders in a water suspension. The orders range from nano- to macroscale with the contributions of individual crystals, their micron clusters, and macroscopic assemblies. The resulting hierarchies are optically active materials that exhibit iridescence, reflectance, and light transmission. Although these assemblies have the potential for future renewable materials, details about structures on different hierarchical levels that span from the nano- to the macroscale are still not unraveled. Rheological characterization is essential for investigating flow properties; however, bulk material properties make it difficult to capture the various length-scales during assembly of the suspensions, for example, in simple shear flow. Rheometry is combined with other characterization methods to allow direct analysis of the structure development in the individual hierarchical levels. While optical techniques, scattering, and spectroscopy are often used to complement rheological observations, coupling them in situ to allow simultaneous observation is paramount to fully understand the details of CNC assembly from liquid to solid. This Review provides an overview of achievements in the coupled analytics, as well as our current opinion about opportunities to unravel the structural distinctiveness of cellulose nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Kádár
- Department
of Industrial Materials Science, Chalmers
University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg
Wood Science Center (WWSC), Chalmers University
of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Stefan Spirk
- Institute
of Bioproducts and Paper Technology, Graz
University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Tiina Nypelö
- Wallenberg
Wood Science Center (WWSC), Chalmers University
of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers
University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
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Khadem SA, Rey AD. Nucleation and growth of cholesteric collagen tactoids: A time-series statistical analysis based on integration of direct numerical simulation (DNS) and long short-term memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN). J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 582:859-873. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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15
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He X, Lu W, Sun C, Khalesi H, Mata A, Andaleeb R, Fang Y. Cellulose and cellulose derivatives: Different colloidal states and food-related applications. Carbohydr Polym 2020; 255:117334. [PMID: 33436177 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.117334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Development of new sources and isolation processes has recently enhanced the production of cellulose in many different colloidal states. Even though cellulose is widely used as a functional ingredient in the food industry, the relationship between the colloidal states of cellulose and its applications is mostly unknown. This review covers the recent progress on illustrating various colloidal states of cellulose and the influencing factors with special emphasis on the correlation between the colloidal states of cellulose and its applications in food industry. The associated unique colloidal states of cellulose like high aspect ratio, crystalline structure, surface charge, and wettability not only promote the stability of colloidal systems, but also help improve the nutritional aspects of cellulose by facilitating its interactions with digestive system. Further studies are required for the rational control and improvement of the colloidal states of cellulose and producing food systems with enhanced functional and nutritional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangxiang He
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Cuixia Sun
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hoda Khalesi
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Analucia Mata
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Rani Andaleeb
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yapeng Fang
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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16
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Dong Z, Ye Z, Zhang Z, Xia K, Zhang P. Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystal Behavior of Core-Shell Hybrid Rods Consisting of Chiral Cellulose Nanocrystals Dressed with Non-chiral Conformal Polymeric Skins. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:2376-2390. [PMID: 32364722 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The current work investigates how the nanoscale conformal coating layers of non-chiral polymeric materials can influence the chiral nematic liquid crystal (CLC) behaviors of the rodlike cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), the bio-derived nanomaterials that have attracted significant attention. For this, we developed strategies to coat the CNC rods on the single-particle level with a homogeneous bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) layer, leading to well-defined core-shell CNC@PDA rods with various PDA coating thicknesses and excellent colloidal stability. Comprehensive investigation revealed that the CNC@PDA hybrid nanorods in concentrated suspensions form well-defined nematic liquid crystal phases with clear phase separation behavior that depend on the rod concentrations and ionic strengths, typical of charged rods. Most intriguingly, the nematic LC phases formed by the CNC@PDA rods with the PDA coating thickness achieved herein are indeed the perfect CLC phases, which form following the classic pathway of nucleation and coalesce of chiral tactoids and have colorful chiral fingerprints standing out from the dark suspensions. The pitches of the CLC phase increase sharply with increasing PDA coating thicknesses and are significantly larger than those of the pristine CNCs. Such observations can be attributed to the blurring effects of the PDA coating on the intrinsic surface chiral features of CNC of whatever origins that drive the formation of the CLC phases, resulting in weakening chiral interactions between CNC@PDA rods. Besides benefiting the understanding of the long-sought origin of the CLC phases of the pristine CNC, the current work demonstrates the possibility of controlling the CLC phase behaviors of CNC by tuning the thickness of the coating materials and also serves as the first example of directly transferring the unique chirality of CNC to other non-chiral materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyue Dong
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Zihan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Zhenkun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Ke Xia
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Pengjiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
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Xu Y, Atrens A, Stokes JR. A review of nanocrystalline cellulose suspensions: Rheology, liquid crystal ordering and colloidal phase behaviour. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 275:102076. [PMID: 31780045 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2019.102076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is a colloidal rigid rod, referred to by various terms in the literature including cellulose whisker (CW) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). These charged colloidal rods exhibit complex colloidal phase and rheological behaviours in aqueous suspensions, that are dependent on volume fraction and interparticle forces. A major shortcoming in the literature of NCC is that the dimensions and morphology of NCC particles vary significantly with the type of raw material and manufacturing conditions, which causes inconsistencies in suspension rheology and colloidal behaviours reported between different works. In this review, we consider the theory and experimentally-determined rheological and colloidal phase behaviours of charged rod suspensions in general, with a focus in particular on NCC. Dilute and semi-dilute NCC suspensions are isotropic liquids, in which NCC particles follow diffusional dynamics. The rheology of these isotropic NCC suspensions can be described by theoretical models that account for the effects of rod dimensions and surface charge, including those based on Doi and Edwards' theory. With increasing NCC concentration, the isotropic phase can undergo a transition to a liquid crystalline state (isotropic-nematic transition) or a transition to a dynamically arrested solid (liquid-solid transition). The liquid crystal ordering and gelation/glass transition are of particular interest because they respectively form an ordered structure and allow a solid-like mechanical response at relatively low solids fraction. For conditions at which the isotropic-nematic and liquid-solid transitions coincide, the formation of an anisotropic structure within a soft solid suspension is possible. Investigation of these two competing transitions led to the discovery of liquid crystal re-entrancy and existence of an anisotropic soft solid (liquid crystal hydroglass, LCH). LCH has a biphasic structure with an attractive glass matrix and a co-existing liquid crystal phase, providing similar viscoelastic properties to hydrogels but permitting reversible orientation of the colloidal rods in the liquid crystalline phase by shear forces; i.e. their structural ordering is programmable. The liquid crystal transition and gelation/glass transitions are quantitatively dependent on rod dimensions i.e. respectively proportional to L2D and L/D. Phase transitions in NCC suspensions including liquid crystal re-entrancy and formation of LCH can be fully described as a function of rod dimension, volume fraction and interparticle forces. This behaviour is independent of NCC source, allowing development of a generalised phased diagram in which separately-reported phase transitions converge to consistent phase boundaries. This validates a key hypothesis for the study of NCC suspensions, that variation in NCC concentration and interparticle forces can explain the complex phase behaviours observed within suspensions formulated using NCC obtained from different sources.
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