Xyloglucan coating for enhanced strength and toughness in wood fibre networks.

In recent times, cellulosic materials are witnessing strong interest from both industry and academia for their ability to progress in high-value products with green stamp. Besides the renewability and biodegradability appeal, exceptional properties such as mechanical strength together with toughness are pursued. In the present work, wood fibre networks from eucalyptus Kraft pulp fibres and cellulose nanofibres are combined to produce nanostructured composite networks with outstanding mechanical behaviour.

Molecular adhesion at clay nanocomposite interfaces depends on counterion hydration-molecular dynamics simulation of montmorillonite/xyloglucan.

Nacre-mimetic clay/polymer nanocomposites with clay platelet orientation parallel to the film surface show interesting gas barrier and mechanical properties. In moist conditions, interfacial adhesion is lowered and mechanical properties are reduced. Molecular dynamic simulations (MD) have been performed to investigate the effects of counterions on molecular adhesion at montmorillonite clay (Mnt)-xyloglucan (XG) interfaces.

Nacre-mimetic clay/xyloglucan bionanocomposites: a chemical modification route for hygromechanical performance at high humidity.

Nacre-mimetic bionanocomposites of high montmorillonite (MTM) clay content, prepared from hydrocolloidal suspensions, suffer from reduced strength and stiffness at high relative humidity. We address this problem by chemical modification of xyloglucan in (XG)/MTM nacre-mimetic nanocomposites, by subjecting the XG to regioselective periodate oxidation of side chains to enable it to form covalent cross-links to hydroxyl groups in neighboring XG chains or to the MTM surface. The resulting materials are analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, carbohydrate analysis, calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, tensile tests, and oxygen barrier properties.

Regioselective modification of a xyloglucan hemicellulose for high-performance biopolymer barrier films.

Biobased polymers such as starch and hemicelluloses from wood are of interest for packaging applications, but suffer from limitations in performance under moist conditions. Xyloglucan from industrial tamarind seed waste offers potential, but its Tg is too high for thermal processing applications. Regioselective modification is therefore performed using an approach involving periodate oxidation followed by reduction.

Bioinspired and highly oriented clay nanocomposites with a xyloglucan biopolymer matrix: extending the range of mechanical and barrier properties.

The development of clay bionanocomposites requires processing routes with nanostructural control. Moreover, moisture durability is a concern with water-soluble biopolymers. Here, oriented bionanocomposite coatings with strong in-plane orientation of clay platelets are for the first time prepared by continuous water-based processing.

Toward an alternative compatibilizer for PLA/cellulose composites: grafting of xyloglucan with PLA.

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) chains were grafted on xyloglucan substrates via ring-opening polymerization of the L-lactide monomer. Different parameters such as the nature of the substrate (native or modified xyloglucan) and the substrate/monomer ratios were varied in the synthesis to achieve different lengths of the grafted chains. A range of experimental techniques including infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance were used to characterize the final product.