Debugging periodate oxidation of cellulose: Why following the common protocol of quenching excess periodate with glycol is a bad idea

Periodate oxidation of cellulose to produce "dialdehyde cellulose" (DAC) has lately received increasing attention in sustainable materials development. Despite the longstanding research interest and numerous reported studies, there is still an enormous variation in the proposed preparation and work-up protocols. This apparently reduces comparability and causes reproducibility problems in DAC research. Two simple but prevalent work-up protocols, namely glycol quenching and filtration/washing, were critically examined and compared, resulting in this cautionary note. Various analytical techniques were applied to quantify residual iodine species and organic contaminations from quenching side reactions. The commonly practiced glycol addition cannot remove all oxidising iodine compounds. Both glycol and the formed formaldehyde are incorporated into DAC's polymeric structure. Quenching of excess periodate with glycol can thus clearly be discouraged. Instead, simple washing protocols are recommended which do not bear the risk of side reactions with organic contaminants. While simple washing was sufficient for mildly oxidised celluloses, higher oxidised samples were more likely to trap residual (per)iodate, as determined by thiosulfate titration. For work-up, simple washing with water is proposed while determining potential iodine contaminations after washing with a simple colorimetric test and, if needed, removal of residual periodate by washing with an aqueous sodium thiosulfate solution.

Formation of substituted dioxanes in the oxidation of gum arabic with periodate

Renewable polysaccharide feedstocks are of interest in bio-based food packaging, coatings and hydrogels. Their physical properties often need to be tuned by chemical modification, e.g. by oxidation using periodate, to introduce carboxylic acid, ketone or aldehyde functional groups. The reproducibility required for application on an industrial scale, however, is challenged by uncertainty about the composition of product mixtures obtained and of the precise structural changes that the reaction with periodate induces. Here, we show that despite the structural diversity of gum arabic, primarily rhamnose and arabinose subunits undergo oxidation, whereas (in-chain) galacturonic acids are unreactive towards periodate. Using model sugars, we show that periodate preferentially oxidises the anti 1,2-diols in the rhamnopyranoside monosaccharides present as terminal groups in the biopolymer. While formally oxidation of vicinal diols results in the formation of two aldehyde groups, only traces of aldehydes are observed in solution, with the main final products obtained being substituted dioxanes, both in solution and in the solid state. The substituted dioxanes form most likely by the intramolecular reaction of one aldehyde with a nearby hydroxyl group, followed by hydration of the remaining aldehyde to form a geminal diol. The absence of significant amounts of aldehyde functional groups in the modified polymer impacts crosslinking strategies currently attempted in the preparation of renewable polysaccharide-based materials.

Glycoproteins as a Platform for Making Proton-Conductive Free-Standing Biopolymers

Biopolymers are an attractive environmentally friendly alternative to common synthetic polymers, whereas primarily proteins and polysaccharides are the biomacromolecules that are used for making the biopolymer. Due to the breadth of side chains of such biomacromolecules capable of participating in hydrogen bonding, proteins and polysaccharide biopolymers were also used for the making of proton-conductive biopolymers. Here, we introduce a new platform for combining the merits of both proteins and polysaccharides while using a glycosylated protein for making the biopolymer. We use mucin as our starting point, whereas being a waste of the food industry, it is a highly available and low-cost glycoprotein. We show how we can use different chemical strategies to target either the glycan part or specific amino acids for both crosslinking between the different glycoproteins, thus making a free-standing biopolymer, as well as for introducing superior proton conductivity properties to the formed biopolymer. The resultant proton-conductive soft biopolymer is an appealing candidate for any soft bioelectronic application.

Reductive Amination of Dialdehyde Cellulose: Access to Renewable Thermoplastics

The reductive amination of dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) with 2-picoline borane was investigated for its applicability in the generation of bioderived thermoplastics. Five primary amines, both aliphatic and aromatic, were introduced to the cellulose backbone. The influences of the side chains on the course of the reaction were examined by various analytical techniques with microcrystalline cellulose as a model compound. The obtained insights were transferred to a 39%-oxidized softwood kraft pulp to study the thermal properties of thereby generated high-molecular-weight thermoplastics. The number-average molecular weights (M_n) of the diamine celluloses, ranging from 60 to 82 kD, were investigated by gel permeation chromatography. The diamine celluloses exhibited glass transition temperatures (T_g) from 71 to 112 °C and were stable at high temperatures. Diamine cellulose generated from aniline and DAC showed the highest conversion, the highest T_g (112 °C), and a narrow molecular weight distribution (D̵ of 1.30).

Fabrication and Optimization of Linear PEI-Modified Crystal Nanocellulose as an Efficient Non-Viral Vector for In-Vitro Gene Delivery

BACKGROUND

One of the major challenges in gene therapy is producing gene carriers that possess high transfection efficiency and low cytotoxicity (1). To achieve this purpose, crystal nanocellulose (CNC) -based nanoparticles grafted with polyethylenimine (PEI) have been developed as an alternative to traditional viral vectors to eliminate potential toxicity and immunogenicity.

METHODS

In this study, CNC-PEI10kDa (CNCP) nanoparticles were synthetized and their transfection efficiency was evaluated and compared with linear cationic PEI10kDa (PEI) polymer in HEK293T (HEK) cells. Synthetized nanoparticles were characterized with AFM, FTIR, DLS, and gel retardation assays. In-vitro gene delivery efficiency by nano-complexes and their effects on cell viability were determined with fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Prepared CNC was oxidized with sodium periodate and its surface cationized with linear PEI. The new CNCP nano-complex showed different transfection efficiencies at different nanoparticle/plasmid ratios, which were greater than those of PEI polymer. CNPC and Lipofectamine were similar in their transfection efficiencies and effect on cell viability after transfection.

CONCLUSION

CNCP nanoparticles are appropriate candidates for gene delivery. This result highlights CNC as an attractive biomaterial and demonstrates how its different cationized forms may be applied in designing gene delivery systems.

(Bio)Degradable Polymeric Materials for Sustainable Future-Part 3: Degradation Studies of the PHA/Wood Flour-Based Composites and Preliminary Tests of Antimicrobial Activity

The need for a cost reduction of the materials derived from (bio)degradable polymers forces research development into the formation of biocomposites with cheaper fillers. As additives can be made using the post-consumer wood, generated during wood products processing, re-use of recycled waste materials in the production of biocomposites can be an environmentally friendly way to minimalize and/or utilize the amount of the solid waste. Also, bioactive materials, which possess small amounts of antimicrobial additives belong to a very attractive packaging industry solution. This paper presents a study into the biodegradation, under laboratory composting conditions, of the composites that consist of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)] and wood flour as a polymer matrix and natural filler, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the degradation progress of the obtained composites with different amounts of wood flour. The degradation products were characterized by multistage electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Also, preliminary tests of the antimicrobial activity of selected materials with the addition of nisin were performed. The obtained results suggest that the different amount of filler has a significant influence on the degradation profile.

A Thixotropic, Cell-Infiltrative Nanocellulose Hydrogel That Promotes in Vivo Tissue Remodeling

Injectable gels have been used in minimally invasive surgery for tissue regeneration and treatment of inflammatory diseases. However, polymeric hydrogels often fail in cell infiltration, because of the presence of dense, cross-linked molecular networks and a lack of bioactivity, which causes delayed tissue remodeling. Here, we report a thixotropic, cell-infiltrative hydrogel of biofunctionalized nanocellulose that topologically enhances cell infiltration and biochemically upregulates cellular activity for the promotion of tissue remodeling. Biodegradable, sulfonated nanocellulose forms a nanofibrous hydrogel, mimicking cellular microenvironments through cross-linking between nanocellulose and gelatin. Resulting nanocellulose hydrogels showed thixotropy, allowing for single syringe injection. Nanofiber-based hydrogels possess high molecular permeability, which is due to nanoporous structures. Sulfonate groups on nanocellulose increase protein adsorption and induce cellular extension in vitro. Highly sulfonated nanocellulose hydrogels enhanced cell infiltration and vascularization upon implantation into rats. Macrophage polarization to M2 was observed in nanocellulose hydrogels, which may be involved in tissue remodeling. Injectable, biofunctionalized nanocellulose gels have enormous potential as artificial biomatrices to heal inflammatory diseases through manipulation of the immune system and promotion of tissue remodeling.

Osteoclast-Responsive, Injectable Bone of Bisphosphonated-Nanocellulose that Regulates Osteoclast/Osteoblast Activity for Bone Regeneration

An injectable bone may serve as a minimally invasive therapy for large orthopedic defects and osteoporosis and an alternative to allografting and surgical treatment. However, conventional bone substitutes lack the desirable biodegradability, bioresponsibility, and functionality to regulate the bone regeneration process. Here, we report an injectable, bioresponsive bone composed of bisphosphonate-modified nanocellulose (pNC) as a bone substitute for bone regeneration. Composites composed of nanofibrillated cellulose and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) mimic bone structures in which apatite reinforces collagen fibrils. Bisphosphonate groups on nanocellulose provide reversible, physical cross-linking with β-TCP, apatite formation, binding property to bone, and pH responsiveness. When the pH drops to ∼4.5, which corresponds to an osteoclast-induced pH decrease, pNC-β-TCP composite degrades and releases pNC. pNC suppresses osteoclast formation and pit formation. This osteoclast-responsive property allows for controlling the degradation rate of the composite. Moreover, the composite of pNC, α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP), and β-TCP enhances osteoblast differentiation. This injectable bone substitute of pNC that regulates osteoclast/osteoblast activity has enormous potential for the treatment of bone diseases and prevention of locomotive syndrome.

Layered Double Hydroxide-Cellulose Hybrid Beads: A Novel Catalyst for Topochemical Grafting of Pulp Fibers

Cellulose-based materials are very attractive for emerging bioeconomy as they are renewable, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly. Cellulose beads are spherical and porous and can be highly engineered to be used as catalyst support material. This type of inorganic catalysts is cost-effective and suitable for multiple re-usage and has been rarely explored in cellulose reaction research. In this work, NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) was tailor-made in situ on anionic cellulose beads to form a hybrid, supported photocatalyst for the first time. The hybrid beads were prepared in a size larger than the pulp fibers in order to make the catalysis reaction heterogeneous in nature. Hydrophilic pulp fibers were converted into hydrophobic pulp by photocatalytic topochemical grafting of ethyl acrylate using the LDH-cellulose bead catalyst. The approach identified for the modification of the pulp fibers is the "hydrogen abstraction-UV photografting" because the low-energy, UV radiation-induced grafting offers advantages, such as a reduced degradation of the backbone polymer and a control over the grafting reaction. After grafting, the pulp fibers showed increased water repellency and unaltered thermal stability, indicating the hydrophobic, plasticizing nature of the pulp, which in turn accounts for its thermoformable behavior. These acrylated pulp fibers can be further designed/customized for waterproof or oil absorption applications.

Post-sulfonation of cellulose nanofibrils with a one-step reaction to improve dispersibility

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were sulfonated and the dispersion quality was compared to unfunctionalized and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperdine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) post-oxidation treatment of existing CNF (mechanically fibrillated pulp). A post-sulfonation treatment on existing CNF in chlorosulfonic acid and dimethylformamide (DMF) resulted in sulfonated CNF that retained a fibril-like morphology. There was a small decrease in the cellulose crystallinity index for the sulfonated CNF, but this was much lower than the reported regioselective oxidative bisulfite pretreatment method used to make sulfonated CNF. The current approach was extremely quick, and 5min of reaction time was sufficient to result in significant improvements in dispersibility compared to unfunctionalized CNF. The sulfonated CNF and TEMPO oxidized CNF had better dispersibility compared to the unfunctionalized CNF when dispersed in DMF and water, and in many cases the sulfonated CNF had better dispersibility than the TEMPO CNF. It was found that when CNF was dispersed in DMF the TEMPO CNF formed carboxyl dimethylammonium groups, while the sulfonated CNF formed formate groups.

Anionically Stabilized Cellulose Nanofibrils through Succinylation Pretreatment in Urea-Lithium Chloride Deep Eutectic Solvent

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are green chemicals that have the potential to replace traditional solvents in chemical reactions. In this study, urea-LiCl DES was used successfully as a reaction medium in the anionic functionalization of wood cellulose with succinic anhydride. The effects of reaction temperature and time on the carboxyl content and yield were evaluated. The analyses of the degree of polymerization and crystallinity revealed that the DES was a nondegrading and nondissolving reaction medium. Three samples with the highest carboxyl contents were further nanofibrillated with a microfluidizer to diameters of 2-7 nm, as observed by atomic force microscopy. Samples treated at 70-80 °C for 2 h gave the best outcome and resulted in highly viscose and transparent gels. The sample treated at 90 °C contained larger nanoparticles and larger aggregates owing to the occurrence of possible side reactions but resulted in better thermal stability.

Coated and uncoated cellophane as materials for microplates and open-channel microfluidics devices

This communication describes the use of uncoated cellophane (regenerated cellulose films) for the fabrication of microplates, and the use of coated cellophane for the fabrication of open-channel microfluidic devices. The microplates based on uncoated cellophane are particularly interesting for applications that require high transparency in the ultraviolet (UV) regime, and offer a low-cost alternative to expensive quartz-well plates. Uncoated cellophane is also resistant to damage by various solvents. The microfluidic devices, based on coated cellophane, can have features with dimensions as small as 500 μm, and complex, non-planar geometries. Electrodes can be printed on the surface of the coated cellophane, and embedded in microfluidic devices, to develop resistive heaters and electroanalytical devices for flow injection analysis, and continuous flow electrochemiluminescence (ECL) applications. These open-channel devices are appropriate for applications where optical transparency (especially in the visible regime), resistance to damage by water, biocompatibility and biodegradability are important. Cellophane microfluidic systems complement existing cellulose-based paper microfluidic systems, and provide an alternative to other materials used in microfluidics, such as synthetic polymers or glass. Cellulose films are plausible materials for uses in integrated microfluidic systems for diagnostics, analyses, cell-culture, and MEMS.

Regeneration of Aqueous Periodate Solutions by Ozone Treatment: A Sustainable Approach for Dialdehyde Cellulose Production

A method for easy and fast regeneration of aqueous periodate solutions from dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) production by ozone treatment is presented, along with a direct and reliable simultaneous quantification of iodate and periodate by reversed-phase HPLC. The influence of iodate and ozone concentration, solution pH, and reaction time on the regeneration efficiency was studied, as well as the reaction kinetics. Regeneration of spent periodate solutions by ozone was successfully performed in alkaline medium, which favors the formation of free (.) OH radicals, as supported by the addition of radical scavengers and quantum mechanical calculations. At pH 13 and an ozone concentration of approximately 150 mg L(-1) , periodate was completely regenerated from a 100 mm solution of iodate within 1 h at room temperature. A cyclic process of cellulose oxidation and subsequent regeneration of spent periodate with 90 % efficiency has been developed. So far, commercial applications of DAC have been hampered by difficulties in reusing the costly periodate. This work overcomes this hurdle and presents a highly efficient, clean, and low-cost protocol for the preparation of DAC with integrated periodate recycling, with the possibility of scaling the process up.

Strong, self-standing oxygen barrier films from nanocelluloses modified with regioselective oxidative treatments

In this work, three self-standing nanocellulose films were produced from birch pulp using regioselective oxidation and further derivatization treatments. The modified celluloses were synthesized using periodate oxidation, followed by chlorite oxidation, bisulfite addition, or reductive amination with amino acid taurine, which resulted in dicarboxylic acid cellulose (DCC), α-hydroxy sulfonic acid cellulose (HSAC), and taurine-modified cellulose (TC), respectively. The nanocelluloses were fabricated by mechanical disintegration using high-pressure homogenization. Mechanical and barrier properties of the nanocellulose films were characterized. Two (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) oxidation-based nanocellulose films were also produced, and their properties were compared to the periodate-based nanocellulose films. All of the periodate-based nanocellulose films showed high tensile strength (130-163 MPa) and modulus (19-22 GPa). Oxygen barrier properties of the films were superior to many synthetic and composite materials; in particular, the nanofibrillated DCC films had oxygen permeability as low as 0.12 cm(3) μm/(m(2) d kPa) at 50% relative humidity. Compared to films of TEMPO-oxidized nanocelluloses, all of the periodate-based nanocellulose films had similar or even better mechanical and barrier properties, demonstrating versatility of periodate oxidation to obtain nanocellulose films with adjustable properties. Also, for the first time, amino-acid-based cellulose modification was used in the production of nanocellulose.

A process of converting cellulosic fibers to a superhydrophobic fiber product by internal and surface applications of calcium carbonate in combination with bio-wax post-treatment

To convert cellulosic fibers to a superhydrophobic fiber product (i.e., cellulosic paper), the simple concept involving wet-end and surface applications of calcium carbonate in combination with bio-wax post-treatment was proposed and demonstrated.