Carboxylated nanocellulose for wound healing applications - Increase of washing efficiency after chemical pre-treatment and stability of homogenized gels over 10 months.

To commercialize a biomedical product as a medical device, reproducibility of production and time-stability are important parameters. Studies of reproducibility are lacking in the literature. Additionally, chemical pre-treatments of wood fibres to produce highly fibrillated cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) seem to be demanding in terms of production efficiency, being a bottleneck for industrial upscaling.

Life cycle assessment of bagasse fiber reinforced biocomposites.

This study aims to evaluate the life cycle environmental implications of producing fiber-reinforced biocomposite pellets, compared with sugarcane- and petroleum-based polyethylene (PE) pellets. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is used to evaluate the production of four types of pellets. LCA allows the evaluation of the benefits of improving the production of biobased materials by replacing part of the sugarcane bioPE with bagasse fibers.

Single-step microwave-assisted hot water extraction of hemicelluloses from selected lignocellulosic materials - A biorefinery approach.

The viability of single-step microwave-induced pressurized hot water conditions for co-production of xylan-based biopolymers and bioethanol from aspenwood sawdust and sugarcane trash was investigated. Extraction of hemicelluloses was conducted using microwave-assisted pressurized hot water system. The effects of temperature and time on extraction yield and enzymatic digestibility of resulting solids were determined.

Temperature stability of nanocellulose dispersions.

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) have potential as rheology modifiers of water based fluids, e.g. drilling fluids for use in oil wells or as additives in injection water for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

3D Bioprinting of Carboxymethylated-Periodate Oxidized Nanocellulose Constructs for Wound Dressing Applications.

Nanocellulose has a variety of advantages, which make the material most suitable for use in biomedical devices such as wound dressings. The material is strong, allows for production of transparent films, provides a moist wound healing environment, and can form elastic gels with bioresponsive characteristics. In this study, we explore the application of nanocellulose as a bioink for modifying film surfaces by a bioprinting process.

On the morphology of cellulose nanofibrils obtained by TEMPO-mediated oxidation and mechanical treatment.

The morphological properties of cellulose nanofibrils obtained from eucalyptus pulp fibres were assessed. Two samples were produced with the same chemical treatment (NaClO/NaBr/TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) oxidation), but distinct mechanical treatment intensities during homogenization. It was shown that the nanofibrils production yield increases with the mechanical energy.

Pretreatment-dependent surface chemistry of wood nanocellulose for pH-sensitive hydrogels.

Nanocellulose from wood is a promising material with potential in various technological areas. Within biomedical applications, nanocellulose has been proposed as a suitable nano-material for wound dressings. This is based on the capability of the material to self-assemble into 3D micro-porous structures, which among others have an excellent capacity of maintaining a moist environment.

The effect of residual fibres on the micro-topography of cellulose nanopaper.

Nanopaper is a new material concept composed of nanocellulose, which has been proposed for a series of applications. Recently, the surface of nanopapers has also been emphasized as an important structure to control. This is due to the potential of nanopaper structures as a substrate for printing functionality, which could expand the applicability of nanopaper as a functionalized biomaterial.

Optical methods for the quantification of the fibrillation degree of bleached MFC materials.

In this study, the suitability of optical devices for quantification of the fibrillation degree of bleached microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) materials has been assessed. The techniques for optical assessment include optical scanner, UV-vis spectrophotometry, turbidity, quantification of the fiber fraction and a camera system for dynamic measurements. The results show that the assessed optical devices are most adequate for quantification of the light transmittance of bleached MFC materials.

Micro-structural characterisation of homogeneous and layered MFC nano-composites.

The complementary capabilities of various characterisation methods for micro-structural assessment are demonstrated. The assessed structures were composed of unbleached microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) in combination with bleached and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl (TEMPO) pre-treated MFC materials. The biodegradable nano-composites were thus characterised in detail, including laser profilometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in high and low vacuum modes, and field-emission SEM.

On the structure and oxygen transmission rate of biodegradable cellulose nanobarriers.

Cellulose nanofibrils have been proposed for novel barrier concepts, based on their capability to form smooth, strong and transparent films, with high oxygen barrier properties. A series of cellulose-based films were manufactured and tested with respect to their oxygen transmission rate (OTR) capabilities. The obtained OTR levels were considerably better than the levels recommended for packaging applications.

Cross-linking cellulose nanofibrils for potential elastic cryo-structured gels.

Cellulose nanofibrils were produced from P. radiata kraft pulp fibers. The nanofibrillation was facilitated by applying 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl-mediated oxidation as pretreatment.

Quantitative electron microscopy of cellulose nanofibril structures from Eucalyptus and Pinus radiata kraft pulp fibers.

This work comprises the structural characterization of Eucalyptus and Pinus radiata pulp fibers and their corresponding fibrillated materials, based on quantitative electron microscopy techniques. Compared to hardwood fibers, the softwood fibers have a relatively open structure of the fiber wall outer layers. The fibrillation of the fibers was performed mechanically and chemi-mechanically.

Cellulose fibres, nanofibrils and microfibrils: The morphological sequence of MFC components from a plant physiology and fibre technology point of view.

During the last decade, major efforts have been made to develop adequate and commercially viable processes for disintegrating cellulose fibres into their structural components. Homogenisation of cellulose fibres has been one of the principal applied procedures. Homogenisation has produced materials which may be inhomogeneous, containing fibres, fibres fragments, fibrillar fines and nanofibrils.

Structural quantification of wood fibre surfaces--morphological effects of pulping and enzymatic treatment.

Wood fibres have been utilized by our society as an important component of paper products and are presently gaining more interest as reinforcement in composite materials. During the last decades biochemical treatments have also found applications in the processing of wood fibres. The chemical, mechanical and biochemical treatments affect the morphology of the fibre wall structure at the micro- and nano-level.

Computer-assisted scanning electron microscopy of wood pulp fibres: dimensions and spatial distributions in a polypropylene composite.

A shape description approach is introduced as a step for performing an automatic processing of fibre cross-sectional images. The approach, in combination with appropriate mathematical morphology, yields edited images, which are suitable for further computerized image analysis. Important parameters such as fibre wall thickness, fibre perimeter, form factor and collapse index are quantified effectively and objectively.