Cationic nanofibrillar cellulose with high antibacterial properties

Cationic nanofibrillar cellulose (C-NFC) has been prepared via a high pressure homogenization using quaternized cellulose fibers with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride. It has been shown that the quaternization of dried softwood pulp facilitated the defibrillation processes and prevented clogging of the homogenizer. The effects of the trimethylammonium chloride content on the fibrillation yield, the transparency degree of the gel, the rheological behavior of the NFC suspension and their electrokinetic properties were investigated. AFM observation showed that the NFC suspension consisted of individualized cellulose I nanofibrils 4-5 nm in width and length in the micronic scale. In addition to their strong reinforcing potential, the inclusion of C-NFC into a polymer matrix was shown to efficiently enhance the antibacterial activity. The reinforcing potential of C-NFC, studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), was compared to anionic NFC and the difference was explained in terms of the nanofibrils capacities to build up a strong networks held by hydrogen bonding.