Multiscale study of the chiral self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals during the frontal ultrafiltration process.

The structural organization of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions at the membrane surface during frontal ultrafiltration has been characterized, for the first time, at the nano- and microscale by small-angle X-ray and light scattering (SAXS and SALS, respectively). During filtration, the particles assembled at the membrane surface and formed the so-called concentration polarization layer (CPL), which contains CNCs arranged in a chiral nematic (cholesteric) helicoidal structure, with the long axis of the CNCs oriented parallel to the membrane surface, and the helical axis of the cholesteric structure oriented perpendicular to the membrane surface. The self-organization of CNCs in the form of oriented cholesteric structures was further characterized by a pitch gradient in the CPL.

From raw microalgae to bioplastics: Conversion of Chlorella vulgaris starch granules into thermoplastic starch.

Microalgae are emerging as a promising feedstock for bioplastics, with Chlorella vulgaris yielding significant amounts of starch. This polysaccharide is convertible into thermoplastic starch (TPS), a biodegradable plastic of industrial relevance. In this study, we developed a pilot-scale protocol for extracting and purifying starch from 430 g (dry weight - DW) of starch-enriched Chlorella vulgaris biomass.

Chiral nematic nanocomposites with pitch gradient elaborated by filtration and ultraviolet curing of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions.

An innovative method combining frontal filtration with ultraviolet (UV) curing has been implemented to design cellulosic nanocomposite films with controlled anisotropic textures from nanometric to micrometric length scales. Namely, an aqueous suspension containing poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate polymer (PEGDA) as a photocurable polymer and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) at a 70/30 mass ratio was processed by frontal filtration, followed by in-situ UV-curing in a dedicated cell. This procedure allowed designing nanocomposite films with highly oriented and densely-packed CNCs, homogeneously distributed in a PEGDA matrix over a thickness of ca.

Methacrylated Cellulose Nanocrystals as Fillers for the Development of Photo-Cross-Linkable Cytocompatible Biosourced Formulations Targeting 3D Printing.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from cotton were functionalized in aqueous medium using methacrylic anhydride (MA) to produce methacrylated cellulose nanocrystals (mCNCs) with a degree of methacrylation (DM) up to 12.6 ± 0.50%.

Topological defects in polycrystalline hexosomes from β-cyclodextrin fatty esters.

Colloidal nanoparticles were prepared by aqueous self-assembly of amphiphilic β-cyclodextrins (βCDs) acylated on their secondary face with C chains to a total degree of substitution of 7.0, a thermolysin-catalyzed transesterification process. The small-angle X-ray scattering pattern of the nanoparticles was consistent with a reverse hexagonal organization.