Assembly of nanoparticles-polyelectrolyte complexes in nanofiber cellulose structures

• We quantify the effect of cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) dosage on the assembly of silica nanoparticles (NPs) within a nanocellulose composite.
• Increasing CPAM dosage increases retention of NPs within the cellulose matrix with stronger interparticle interactions.
• Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and microscopic reveal that CPAM concentration affects the aggregates size of SiO2 NPs within the composite.
• We show a bimodal distribution of spherical particles (8–20 nm in diameter) in nanocellulose composites by modelling the SAXS curves.
• Data analysis allow understanding interparticle interactions within assemblies of SiO2 NPs at the nanometer scale with different dosage of CPAM.