Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5156374 | Carbohydrate Polymers | 2018 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Developing hydrogels with enhanced mechanical strength is desirable for bio-related applications. For such applications, cellulose is a notable biopolymer for hydrogel synthesis due to its inherent strength and stiffness. Here, we report the viscosity-adjusted synthesis of a high-strength hydrogel through the physical entanglement of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) in a solvent mixture of tetrabutylammonium fluoride/dimethyl sulfoxide (TBAF/DMSO). MCC was strategically dissolved with TBAF in DMSO at a controlled ratio to induce the formation of a liquid crystalline phase (LCP), which was closely related to the viscosity of the cellulose solution. The highest viscosity was obtained at 2.5% MCC and 3.5% TBAF, leading to the strongest high-strength MCC hydrogel (strongest HS-MCC hydrogel). The resulting hydrogel exhibited a high compressive strength of 0.38Â MPa and a densely packed structure. Consequently, a positive linear correlation was determined between the viscosity of the cellulose solution and the mechanical strength of the HS-MCC hydrogel.
Keywords
DLSLCPTBAFMCCFE-SEMTGADMSOFourier transform infraredTetrabutylammonium fluorideThermal gravimetric analysisdegree of polymerizationDimethyl sulfoxideMicrocrystalline celluloseCrystallinity indexFT-IRliquid crystalline phaseLOIField Emission Scanning Electron MicroscopeCellulose hydrogelViscosityX-ray diffractionXRDDynamic Light Scattering
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Authors
Deokyeong Choe, Young Min Kim, Jae Eun Nam, Keonwook Nam, Chul Soo Shin, Young Hoon Roh,