Rheology of Suspensions of TEMPO-Oxidised and Cationic Cellulose Nanofibrils—The Effect of Chemical Pre-Treatment

Autor: Luís Alves, Solange Magalhães, Jorge F. S. Pedrosa, Paulo J. T. Ferreira, José A. F. Gamelas, Maria Graça Rasteiro
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Gels, Vol 10, Iss 6, p 367 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 10060367
2310-2861
DOI: 10.3390/gels10060367
Popis: Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are particles with a high aspect ratio. Typically, chemically pre-treated CNFs (containing anionic or cationic charged groups) consist of long fibrils (up to 2 μm) with very low thickness (less than 10 nm). Derived from their high aspect ratio, CNFs form strong hydrogels with high elasticity at low concentrations. Thus, CNF suspensions appear as an interesting rheology modifier to be applied in cosmetics, paints, foods, and as a mineral suspending agent, among other applications. The high viscosity results from the strong 3D fibril network, which is related to the good fibrillation of the material, allowing the nanofibrils to overlap. The overlap concentration (c*) was found to vary from ca. 0.13 to ca. 0.60 wt.% depending on the type and intensity of the pre-treatment applied during the preparation of the CNFs. The results confirm the higher tendency for the fibres treated with (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (CHPTAC) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO) to form a 3D network, resulting in the lowest c*. For the TEMPO-oxidised CNF suspensions, it was also found that aggregation is improved at acidic pH conditions due to lower charge repulsion among fibrils, leading to an increase in the suspension viscosity as well as higher apparent yield stresses. TEMPO CNF suspensions with a low content of carboxylic groups tend to precipitate at moderately acidic pH values.
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