Name: highly stable, functional hairy nanoparticles and biopolymers from wood fibers: towards sustainable nanotechnology
Uploaded: 2016-07-20T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Highly Stable, Functional Hairy Nanoparticles and Biopolymers from Wood Fibers: Towards Sustainable Nanotechnology at JoVE.com

Financial support from an Industrial Research Chair funded by FPInnovations and NSERC for a NSERC Discovery grant and from the NSERC Innovative Green Wood Fiber Products Network are acknowledged.

CAUTION: Read the material safety data sheets (MSDS) of all the chemicals before touching them. Many of the chemicals used in this work may cause severe health damages. Using personal protection such as lab coat, gloves, and goggles is a must. Do not forget that safety comes first. The water used throughout the synthesis is distilled water.
1. Preparation of Partially Oxidized Fibers as an Intermediate
<ol>
	<li>Tear 4 g Q-90 softwood pulp sheets into small pieces of approximately 2 x 2 cm<s...

<ol>
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A., Alloin, F., Dufresne, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Review+of+recent+research+into+cellulosic+whisker,+their+Properties+and+their+application+in+nanocomposites+field.">Review of recent research into cellulosic whisker, their Properties and their application in nanocomposites field.</a> Biomacromolecules. 6 (2), 612-626 (2005).</li><li>Sj&#246;str&#246;m, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Wood chemistry: Fundamentals and applications. , (1993).</li><li>Nageli, C., Schwendener, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Das Mikroskop, Theorie und Anwendung desselben. 2. Verbesserte auflage. , (1877).</li><li>Moon, R. 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T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Applications+of+functionalized+and+nanoparticle-modified+nanocrystalline+cellulose.">Applications of functionalized and nanoparticle-modified nanocrystalline cellulose.</a> Trends Biotechnol. 30 (5), 283-290 (2012).</li><li>Kalia, S., Dufresne, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cellulose-based+bio-+and+nanocomposites:+A+review.">Cellulose-based bio- and nanocomposites: A review.</a> Int. J. Polym. Sci. 2011, 1-35 (2011).</li><li>Bai, W., Holbery, J., Li, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+technique+for+production+of+nanocrystalline+cellulose+with+a+narrow+size+distribution.">A technique for production of nanocrystalline cellulose with a narrow size distribution.</a> Cellulose. 16 (3), 455-465 (2009).</li><li>Eichhorn, S. J., Dufresne, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Review:+Current+international+research+into+cellulose+nanofibres+and+nanocomposites.">Review: Current international research into cellulose nanofibres and nanocomposites.</a> J. Mater. Sci. 45 (1), 1-33 (2010).</li><li>Safari, S., Sheikhi, A., van de Ven, T. G. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electroacoustic+characterization+of+conventional+and+electrosterically+stabilized+nanocrystalline+celluloses.">Electroacoustic characterization of conventional and electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline celluloses.</a> J. Colloid Interface Sci. 432, 151-157 (2014).</li><li>Yang, H., Tejado, A., Alam, N., Antal, M., Van De Ven, T. G. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Films+prepared+from+electrosterically+stabilized+nanocrystalline+cellulose.">Films prepared from electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose.</a> Langmuir. 28 (20), 7834-7842 (2012).</li><li>Guthrie, R. 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Following the chemistry discussed in this visual paper, a spectrum of highly stable cellulose-based nanoparticles with tunable charge bearing both crystalline and amorphous phases (hairy nanocrystalline celluloses) are produced. Depending on the periodate oxidation time, as shown in Table 1, various products are yielded: oxidized fibers (fraction 1), SNCC (fraction 2), and DAMC (fraction 3) each of which providing unique properties, such as defined size, morphology, crystallinity, and aldehyde content. F...

Cellulose, as the most abundant biopolymer in the world, has been served recently as a key raw material to yield crystalline nanoparticles named nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC, also known as cellulose nanocrystals CNC)1. To understand the mechanism of NCC synthesis, the structure of cellulose fibers needs to be explored. Cellulose is a linear and polydispersed polymer comprising poly-beta(1,4)-D-glucose residues2. The sugar rings in each monomer are connected through glycosidic oxygen to form chains of (1-1.5) x 104 glucopyranose units2,3, introducing alternating crystalline parts and disordered, amorphous regions, first reported by Nageli and Schwendener2,4. Depending on the source, crystalline parts of cellulose can adopt various polymorphs5.
If a cellulose fiber is treated with a strong acid, such as sulfuric acid, the amorphous phase can be completely hydrolyzed away to disrupt the polymer and produce crystalline particles of various aspect ratio depending on the source (e.g., wood and cotton yield more than 90% crystalline nanorods of width ~ 5-10 nm and length ~ 100-300 nm, whereas tunicin, bacteria, and algae produce 5-60 nm wide and 100 nm to several micrometer long NCCs)6. Readers are referred to the vast amount of literature available on the scientific and engineering aspects of these nanomaterials2,5,7-16. Despite numerous interesting properties of these nanoparticles, their colloidal stability has always been an issue at high salt concentrations and high/low pH due to their relatively low surface charge content (less than 1 mmol/g)17.
Instead of strong acid hydrolysis, cellulose fibers can be treated with an oxidizing agent (periodate), cleaving C2-C3 linkage in the anhydro D-glucopyranose residues to form 2,3-dialdehyde units with no significant side reactions18,19. These partially oxidized fibers can be used as a valuable intermediate material to produce nanoparticles bearing both amorphous and crystalline regions (hairy nanocrystalline celluloses) using solely chemical reactions without any mechanical shear or ultrasonication20. When the partial oxidation degree DS &#60; 2, heating oxidized fibers results in three batches of products, namely fibrous cellulose, water dispersible dialdehyde cellulose nanowhiskers called sterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose (SNCC), and dissolved dialdehyde modified cellulose (DAMC), which can be isolated by precise control over the co-solvent addition and intermittent centrifugation21.
Performing controlled chlorite oxidation on the partially oxidized fibers converts almost all the aldehyde groups to carboxyl units, which can introduce as high as 7 mmol COOH groups per gram of nanocrystalline cellulose depending on the aldehyde content18, acting as stabilizers. These nanoparticles are called electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose (ENCC). Furthermore, it has been confirmed that soft layers of charged hair-like protruding chains exist on ENCC17. This material has been used as a highly efficient adsorbent to scavenge heavy metal ions22. The charge of these nanoparticles can be precisely controlled by controlling the periodate reaction time23.
Despite known oxidation reactions of cellulose, the production of SNCC and ENCC has never been reported by any other research groups most probably due to the separation challenges. We have been able to successfully synthesize and isolate various fractions of nanoproducts by precisely designing the reaction and separation steps. This visual article demonstrates with complete detail how to reproducibly prepare and characterize the aforementioned novel nanowhiskers bearing both amorphous and crystalline parts from wood fibers. This tutorial may be an asset for active researchers in the fields of soft material, biological, and medicinal sciences, nanotechnology and nanophotonics, environmental science and engineering, and physics.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="947">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Q-90 softwood pulp</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">FPInnovations</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">-</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">-</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Sodium periodate</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">S1878-500G/CAS7790-28-5</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Light sensitive, Strong oxidizer, must be kept away from flammable materials</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Sodium chloride</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">ACP Chemicals</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">S2830-3kg/7647-14-5</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">-</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">2-Propanol</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">L-13597/67-63-0</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Flammable</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Ethylene glycol</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">102466-1L/107-21-1</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">-</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Sodium hydroxide</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">L-19234/1310-73-2</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Strong base, causes serious health effects</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Sodium chlorite</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">71388-250G/7758-19-2</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Reactive with reducing agents and combustible materials</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Hydrogen peroxide</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">H325-500/7722-84-1</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Corrosive and oxidizing agent, keep in a cool and dark place</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Ethanol</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Commercial alcohols</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">P016EAAN</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Flammable</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Hydrochloric acid</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">ACP Chemicals</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">H-6100-500mL/7647-01-0</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Strong acid, causes serious health effects</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Hydroxylamine hydrochloride</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">159417-100G/5470-11-1</td>
			<td style="width:369px;">Unstable at high temperature and humidity, mutagenic</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Centrifuge</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">J2</td>
			<td>High rotary speed</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Fixed angle rotor</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">JA-25.50</td>
			<td>Tighten the lid carefully</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:24px;width:216px;">Dialysis tubing</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Spectrum Labs</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">Spectra (Part No. 132676)</td>
			<td>Cutoff Mw = 12-14 kD, Length ~ 30 cm, width ~ 4.5 cm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Aluminum cup</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">611-1371</td>
			<td>57 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Titrator</td>
			<td style="width:149px;">Metrohm</td>
			<td style="width:213px;">836 Titrando</td>
			<td>-</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

highly stable, functional hairy nanoparticles and biopolymers from wood fibers: towards sustainable nanotechnology

Nanoparticles, as one of the key materials in nanotechnology and nanomedicine, have gained significant importance during the past decade. While metal-based nanoparticles are associated with synthetic and environmental hassles, cellulose introduces a green, sustainable alternative for nanoparticle synthesis. Here, we present the chemical synthesis and separation procedures to produce new classes of hairy nanoparticles (bearing both amorphous and crystalline regions) and biopolymers based on wood fibers. Through periodate oxidation of soft wood pulp, the glucose ring of cellulose is opened at the C2-C3 bond to form 2,3-dialdehyde groups. Further heating of the partially oxidized fibers (e.g., T = 80 &#176;C) results in three products, namely fibrous oxidized cellulose, sterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose (SNCC), and dissolved dialdehyde modified cellulose (DAMC), which are well separated by intermittent centrifugation and co-solvent addition. The partially oxidized fibers (without heating) were used as a highly reactive intermediate to react with chlorite for converting almost all aldehyde to carboxyl groups. Co-solvent precipitation and centrifugation resulted in electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose (ENCC) and dicarboxylated cellulose (DCC). The aldehyde content of SNCC and consequently surface charge of ENCC (carboxyl content) were precisely controlled by controlling the periodate oxidation reaction time, resulting in highly stable nanoparticles bearing more than 7 mmol functional groups per gram of nanoparticles (e.g., as compared to conventional NCC bearing &#60;&#60; 1 mmol functional group/g). Atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) attested to the rod-like morphology. Conductometric titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), electrokinetic-sonic-amplitude (ESA) and acoustic attenuation spectroscopy shed light on the superior properties of these nanomaterials.

The mass portion and charge content of each fraction during the periodate and chlorite oxidation of pulp depends on the reaction time (Table 1). Moreover, DAC molecular weight depends on heating condition and residence time (Table 2). Once SNCC and DAMC are made, they precipitate out by adding propanol (Figure 1). To measure the charge content of ENCC, conductometric titration is performed (Figure 2). NCC and ENCC colloid...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Highly Stable, Functional Hairy Nanoparticles and Biopolymers from Wood Fibers: Towards Sustainable Nanotechnology at JoVE.com

Highly Stable, Functional Hairy Nanoparticles and Biopolymers from Wood Fibers: Towards Sustainable Nanotechnology

Synthesis schemes to prepare highly stable wood fiber-based hairy nanoparticles and functional cellulose-based biopolymers have been detailed.

Nanoparticles, as one of the key materials in nanotechnology and nanomedicine, have gained significant importance during the past decade. While ...

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