Taming the Production of Bioluminescent Wood Using the White Rot Fungus Desarmillaria Tabescens.

Although bioluminescence is documented both anecdotally and experimentally, the parameters involved in the production of fungal bioluminescence during wood colonization have not been identified to date. Here, for the first time, this work develops a methodology to produce a hybrid living material by manipulating wood colonization through merging the living fungus Desarmillaria tabescens with nonliving balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) wood to achieve and control the autonomous emission of bioluminescence. The hybrid material with the highest bioluminescence is produced by soaking the wood blocks before co-cultivating them with the fungus for 3 months.

Nanocellulose-MXene Biomimetic Aerogels with Orientation-Tunable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance.

Designing lightweight nanostructured aerogels for high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is crucial yet challenging. Ultrathin cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are employed for assisting in building ultralow-density, robust, and highly flexible transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) aerogels with oriented biomimetic cell walls. A significant influence of the angles between oriented cell walls and the incident EM wave electric field direction on the EMI shielding performance is revealed, providing an intriguing microstructure design strategy.

Nanoparticles capture on cellulose nanofiber depth filters.

A self-standing filter with a porosity of 80% is prepared from naturally abundant cellulose biopolymer in its native state by water-based cationization and freeze-drying processes. The positive surface charge of the filter in a wide pH range favors its interaction with various nanoparticles (NPs), while its tortuous sheet structure builds a contact between cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and the NPs, and hinders them to pass through the filter. Unlike membranes used for the retention of NPs and viruses, the separation in the CNF filter is not only limited to its surface but occurs also in its interior even when the NPs are orders of magnitude smaller than the filter pores.

Synthesis of new bis(acyl)phosphane oxide photoinitiators for the surface functionalization of cellulose nanocrystals.

A new synthesis of bis(acyl)phosphane oxide (BAPO) photoinitiators was developed which can be used to functionalize cellulose nanocrystal surfaces for polymer grafting. Hybrid materials with excellent graft yields can be rapidly obtained under mild and acid-free conditions.

Characterization of Pores in Dense Nanopapers and Nanofibrillated Cellulose Membranes: A Critical Assessment of Established Methods.

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) is a natural fibrous material that can be readily processed into membranes. NFC membranes for fluid separation work in aqueous medium, thus in their swollen state. The present study is devoted to a critical investigation of porosity, pore volume, specific surface area, and pore size distribution of dry and wet NFC nanopapers, also known as membranes, with various established techniques, such as electron microscopy, helium pycnometry, mercury intrusion, gas adsorption (N2 and Kr), and thermoporometry.