Micromorphology reformation of regenerated cellulose nanofibers from corn (Zea Mays) stalk pith in urea solution with high-speed shear induced.

Nanocellulose is a kind of renewable natural polymer material with high specific surface area, high crystallinity, and strong mechanical properties. RC nanofibers (RCNFs) have attracted an increasing attention in various applications due to their high aspect ratio and good flexibility. Herein, a novel and facile strategy for RCNFs preparation with high-speed shear induced in urea solution through "bottom-up" approach was proposed in this work. Results indicated that the average diameter and yield of RCNF was approach to 136.67 nm and 53.3 %, respectively. Meanwhile, due to the regular orientation RC chains and arrangement micro-morphology, RCNFs exhibited high crystallinity, strong mechanical properties, stable thermal degradation performance, and excellent UV resistance. In this study, a novel regeneration process with high-speed shear induced was developed to produce RCNFs with excellent properties. This study paved a strategy for future low-energy production of nanofibers and high value-added conversion applications of agricultural waste.

Carboxymethyl cellulose-based multifunctional film integrated with polyphenol-rich extract and carbon dots from coffee husk waste for active food packaging applications.

Sustainable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based active composite films were developed through the addition of polyphenol-rich extract from coffee husk (CHE) and carbon dots (CDs) prepared using the biowaste residue of CHE extraction. The influences of various CDs contents on the physicochemical and functional characteristics of composite films have been researched. The 6% (w/w) CHE and 3% (w/w) CDs were uniformly dispersed within the CMC matrix to produce a homogenous film with enhanced mechanical properties. The CMC/CHE/CDs3% film exhibited outstanding UV-light blocking, improved water and gas barriers, potent antioxidant activity with above 95% DPPH and ABTS scavenging rates, and effective antibacterial capabilities against L. monocytogenes and E. coli. The food packaging experiment demonstrated that this active composite film slowed the rotting of fresh-cut apples and extended their shelf-life to 7 days at 4 °C storage. Therefore, the obtained multifunctional film showed promise as an environmentally friendly food packaging material.

Inhibition Effect of Triphenylmethane Dyes for the Corrosion of Carbon Steel in CO2-Saturated NaCl Corrosion Medium.

Carbon dioxide corrosion presents a significant challenge in the oil and gas field. This study simulates the corrosive environment characteristics of oil and gas fields to investigate the corrosion inhibition properties of three triphenylmethane dyes. The inhibitive performance and mechanisms of these dyes were analyzed through weight loss and electrochemical testing, revealing that crystal violet (CV) exhibited a superior inhibition effectiveness over malachite green (MG) and Fuchsine basic (FB). At a concentration of 150 ppm in a CO2-saturated 5% NaCl solution at 25 °C, CV achieved an impressive maximum inhibition efficiency of 94.89%. With the increase in temperature, the corrosion rate slightly decreased, and the corrosion rate was 92.94% at 60 °C. The investigated CV acted as a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor and its protection obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The corrosion morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLMS). Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations were employed to validate the corrosion inhibition mechanisms, providing guidance for the further application of these dyes in corrosion control.

Humidity-adjustable functional gelatin hydrogel/ethyl cellulose bilayer films for active food packaging application.

A sustainable functional bilayer film composed of gelatin hydrogel/ethyl cellulose was fabricated using a simple LBL casting method. The outer layer was hydrophobic ethyl cellulose (EC), while the inner layer was hydrophilic gelatin (GEL) hydrogel. Tannic acid (TA) served as a green cross-linker for GEL hydrogel preparation and as a reductant for AgNPs synthesis in-situ within the hydrogel network. Physicochemical and functional properties of the bilayer films containing different TA content were studied. When 3 wt% TA was added, the AgNPs@GT-3/EC bilayer film exhibited superior UV-light barrier, possessed desirable humidity-adjustable capability and oxygen barrier due to denser hydrogel network structure, and effectively inactivated foodborne pathogens S. aureus and E. coli with bacteriostatic rates of 99 %. The application results indicated that this bilayer film effectively maintained the postharvest quality of white button mushrooms and prolonged their shelf-life to 7 days under ambient storage, demonstrating its promising potential for fresh food packaging.

Crosslinked fish scale gelatin/alginate dialdehyde functional films incorporated with carbon dots derived from pomelo peel waste for active food packaging.

A multifunctional and environmentally friendly composite film was developed by incorporating pomelo peel-derived carbon dots (PCDs) into a fish scale gelatin (FSG)/alginate dialdehyde (ADA) biopolymer matrix. ADA was used to reinforce the physicomechanical properties of the FSG film via Schiff base crosslinking. PCDs with strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. The effect of various PCDs content on the surface morphological, physicochemical, and functional characteristics of the composite films was investigated. The results showed that the introduction of PCDs into the FSG/ADA matrix effectively reinforced the mechanical performance, enhanced the water vapor and water resistance, increased UV-light blocking, conferred fluorescence properties, and improved the thermal properties of the composite films. Under 3 wt% PCDs content, the FSG/ADA/PCDs-3 % composite film not only presented significant antioxidant capacity with a radical scavenging rate of 91.71 % for DPPH and approximately 100 % for ABTS, but also exhibited excellent antimicrobial ability against bacteria and fungi. Results of a preservation experiment showed that the prepared FSG/ADA/PCDs-3 % film preserved the physiological qualities of strawberries post-harvest and extended their shelf-life to 7 days at room temperature. Overall, the fabricated FSG/ADA/PCDs composite films are promising for use in eco-friendly active food packaging.

A dual pH- and temperature-responsive hydrogel produced in situ crosslinking of cyclodextrin-cellulose for wound healing.

Cellulose hydrogels have gained attention in the field of wound healing due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and the capacity to sustain a humid environment that promotes healing. Conventional cellulose hydrogels were usually lacked responsiveness to changing wound conditions, and limited capacity for controlled release of active substances. The composite hydrogels with Berberine (BBR) loading were prepared from bamboo parenchymal cellulose and in situ crosslinking carboxylated-ß-cyclodextrin (BPCH-B) via dissolution. The inclusion of BBR enhanced the antibacterial properties of cellulose hydrogel while maintaining biocompatibility and drug delivery capabilities. The dual-responsive dressing was demonstrated to modulate drug release kinetics in accordance with the pH and temperature conditions prevailing within the wound site. Specifically, study exhibited a significant increase in drug release (over 70 %) under alkaline pH (7.6) and temperature (40 °C) conditions. Full-thickness wound healing experiments indicated that BPCH-B had better healing ability, and the wound healing area of BPCH-B treated was 80 % within 12 days, while the control group was only 50 %. This strategy for generating functional wound healing can be further control release of drug compounds for treatment of wounds, enabling development of practical wound care materials.

Fabrication and characterization of waste fish scale-derived gelatin/sodium alginate/carvacrol loaded ZIF-8 nanoparticles composite films with sustained antibacterial activity for active food packaging.

An environmental-friendly composite films containing waste fish scale-derived gelatin (FSG), sodium alginate (SA) and carvacrol loaded ZIF-8 (CV@ZIF-8) nanoparticles were designed and fabricated to develop active food packaging materials capable of sustained antibacterial activity. The microstructure and physicochemical properties of the FSG/SA/CV@ZIF-8 composite films were investigated. The incorporation of CV@ZIF-8 into FSG/SA matrix significantly enhanced the UV-light blocking and the elongation at break, improved water resistance and reduced water vapor permeability, and improved the thermal stability of composite film. The FSG/SA/CV@ZIF-8 film not only exhibited strong antioxidant activity with DPPH radical scavenging rate of 92.35 %, but also showed the satisfactory and long-acting antibacterial ability against E. coli and S. aureus due to slow release of CV from composite film. Strawberry preservation experiment revealed that FSG/SA/CV@ZIF-8 film decelerated the texture deterioration and retarded the growth of spoilage microorganism, resulting in the prolonged shelf-life of 8 days under ambient condition, indicating its promising application prospect in food preservation packaging.

All-cellulose air filter composed with regenerated nanocellulose prepared through a facile method with shear-induced.

High-speed shear system is usually used for the dispersion improvement of slurry, nanomaterials preparation, and even two-dimensional materials production. However, there is barely study that focused on the regenerated cellulose (RC) which was coagulated with shear induced. In this work, a new type of all-cellulose air filter was fabricated through high-speed shear in aqueous regeneration system using parenchyma cellulose from corn stalk. The obtained RC were aggregated by ribbon-like fine cellulose and nanocellulose sheets. The study exhibited the micro-structure of RC displayed excellent unidirectional alignment and a relatively high crystallinity. All-cellulose air filter which was produced via RC presented excellent filtration efficiency (PM2.5 97.3 %, PM10.0 97.7 %) with slightly pressure drop (19 Pa). Therefore, this work provides a facile method to obtain a novel RC with nanocellulose particles used for air filtration, which gives an effective strategy application in the conversion of all-cellulose materials from agricultural waste.

Preparation of robust and fully bio-based modified paper via mussel-inspired layer-by-layer assembly of chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose for food packaging.

A green and facile method was proposed to prepare robust and fully bio-based modified paper in this study, which involved in layer-by-layer deposition of chitosan (CS) and mussel adhesive protein-mimetic polymer (dopamine-grafted carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC-g-DA) on paper surface and subsequent oxidative cross-linking by sodium periodate. The mechanical, barrier and antibacterial properties of the cross-linked multilayer-modified paper significantly improved with the increased bilayer numbers. Compared with unmodified paper, cross-linked (CS/CMC-g-DA)6 multilayer-modified paper exhibited 71.6 % improvement in tensile strength, 69.2 % and 56.3 % decline in air and water vapor permeability, as well as above 90 % antibacterial efficiency against S. aureus and E. coli. Particularly, the cross-linked multilayer-modified paper maintained outstanding functional stability even after suffering from vigorously corrosive treatment. The obtained functional paper effectively extended the shelf-life of Agaricus bisporus to 6 days under ambient conditions. We believed that the prepared robust functional paper in this study will have promising application prospect in food packaging field.

Augmented antibacterial mechanism of ZnO nanoparticles by labyrinthian-channel configuration of maize-stalk carbohydrate columns and sustainable strategy for water decontamination.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) as a broad-spectrum germicide in environmental remediation applications, is hindered by mild toxicity to organisms during water sterilization. To solve this dilemma, this work provided an eco-benign approach to utilize maize stalk with natural labyrinthine-channel configuration simultaneously acting as microbe trap and bactericide carrier to arouse bactericidal response of ZnO NPs. The preparation comprises in-situ growing ZnO NPs, accompanied by nanoscale delignification, leading to formed carbohydrate complex retaining the intricately porous structure of the stalk. Assembled by maize-stalk carbohydrate (MSC) composites with 9 short composites in serial, the elimination of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) reached up 6.7 and 4.8 orders of magnitude, respectively. Labyrinth-framework MSC provided favorable sites for fusiform flower-like ZnO NPs to strongly adsorb (adsorption energy 5.5-11.7 eV) phosphoryl-involved biomacromolecules of bacterial envelops, causing generation of stable Zn-P and Zn-O(H), then cell incompleteness, cellular redox imbalance and DNA damage. Breakthrough analysis exposed the MSC/ZnO-filter possessing remarkable features of antibacterial exhaustion rate (~ 1.06 g/L) and capacity (~ 9.6 × 109 CFU/g) which were comparable with Ag-based composites. As evaluated by the logistic and Gompertz models, the filters effectively sterilized 0.97-10 L of environmental waters to meet the requirements of drinking water.

Preparation of hemicellulose-based hydrogels from biomass refining industrial effluent for effective removal of methylene blue dye.

Cold caustic extraction (i.e. CCE) is an essential technique for removing hemicellulose from paper-grade pulp and thus obtaining high-purity dissolving pulp in pulp and paper industry. The generated wastewater from the CCE process contains large amounts of valuable hemicellulose which should be properly treated in a cost-effective way. Therefore, in this research, the hemicellulose has been used as a raw material for preparing hemicellulose-graft-polyacrylamide (hemi-g-pAAm) hydrogel particles for efficiently adsorbing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The mass transfer kinetic behaviours of hemicellulose during a multiple CCE process were also studied. The MB adsorption kinetic test results showed that the removal efficiency can be higher than 90% for the simulated wastewater containing 500 mg/L of MB. Of note, the maximum removal capacities for the wastewater samples containing 500 and 1000 mg/L of MB could be reached up to ∼1800 and ∼2300 (mg/g) respectively with the equilibrium time of ∼40 min. Compared to other reported materials, the superior adsorption performance of the prepared hemicellulose-based hydrogel proved its great potential for application in the wastewater treatment of dye industry.

The photothermal stability of CNFs/ZnAl-LDHs composited films: Influence of the crystal morphology of ZnAl-LDHs.

The existence of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups makes the photothermal stability of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) poor and thus limits its scale application. This problem could be solved by doping layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanopowders with opposite charge on the surface of CNFs. This work mainly focused on investigation of the influence of the crystal morphology of the inorganic ultraviolet shielding agent (i.e. ZnAl-LDHs) on the thermal stability of CNFs/ZnAl-LDHs composited films. The results showed that the morphology of LDHs was positively correlated with the photothermal stability of CNFs-based films. Specially, the ZnAl-LDHs with uniform crystal morphology could be prepared by controlling the molar ratio of Zn/Al at 3:1 and thus enhance the photothermal stability of CNFs-based films without any serious light transmittance deteriorating after doping. This work provided a practical and effective way for preparation of photothermal-stable CNFs-based transparent films for industrial application in the fields of photonics and electronics.

Mild O2-aided alkaline pretreatment effectively improves fractionated efficiency and enzymatic digestibility of Napier grass stem towards a sustainable biorefinery.

Napier grass is a promising energy source on account of its strong adaptability and high productivity. Herein, an O2-aided alkaline pretreatment with mild operating conditions was developed to modify Napier grass stem structure for improving its fractionated efficiency and enzymatic digestibility. Compared with the conventional alkaline pretreatment, it could be proceeded at lower temperature (80 °C) and dilute NaOH solution (1%) to remove over 80% lignin and retain 92% cellulose. The recovered lignin possessed typical structures of native lignin and well-preserved molecular weight, anticipating feasible potential in preparation of biomaterials or aromatic chemicals. Coupled with the enzymatic hydrolysis managements of solid remain and hydrolysate after the pretreatment, the recovery yields of glucose and xylose based on the raw material feeds reached 89.7% and 90.2%, respectively. This contribution demonstrates a highly-reliable strategy to fractionate Napier grass stem for maximizing fermentation sugar production and valorizing lignin toward sustainable biorefinery processes.

Carboxymethyl cellulose/cellulose nanocrystals immobilized silver nanoparticles as an effective coating to improve barrier and antibacterial properties of paper for food packaging applications.

A new natural formulation composed of CMC and various contents of CNC immobilized AgNPs (CNC@AgNPs) was developed for paper coating. The mechanical strength, water vapor and air barrier properties, and antibacterial activities of CMC/CNC@AgNPs coated paper improved with the increasing content of CNC@AgNPs. CMC/CNC@AgNPs7 % coated paper exhibited 1.26 times increase in tensile strength, 45.4 % decrease in WVP, 93.3 % reduction in air permeability as well as the best antibacterial activities against E.coli and S.aureus compared with uncoated paper. Moreover, the cumulative release rate of AgNPs from coated paper significantly reduced due to the immobilization effect of CNC on AgNPs. Furthermore, CMC/CNC@AgNPs coated paper was used to package strawberries under ambient conditions. The results showed that coated paper could maintain better strawberries quality compared with unpackaged strawberries and extend the shelf-life of strawberries to 7 days. Therefore, the prepared CMC/CNC@AgNPs coated paper will have a great application prospect in the food packaging.

Preparation and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose-based composite films reinforced by cellulose nanocrystals derived from pea hull waste for food packaging applications.

Pea hull is a renewable, readily available and abundant agricultural waste whose high-value utilization deserves more attentions. This work aimed at the isolation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from pea hull and evaluation its reinforcement capability for carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) film. The obtained CNC displayed needle-like shapes with length of 81-286 nm, diameter of 8-21 nm, aspect ratio of 16 and crystallinity index of 0.77. The effects of CNC content on the morphologies, optical, mechanical, water vapor barrier and thermal properties of CMC/CNC films were investigated. SEM images showed that the CNC was evenly distributed in the CMC matrix to form homogenous films when the content of CNC was ≤5 wt%. The CMC/CNC composite films showed improved UV barrier, mechanical strength, water vapor barrier and thermal stability. Compared with pure CMC film, an increase of 50.8% in tensile strength and a decrease of 53.4% in water vapor permeability were observed for 5 wt% CNC-reinforced composite film. Furthermore, 5 wt% CNC-reinforced composite film was used for red chilies packaging, which is very effective at reducing weight loss and maintaining vitamin C compared with uncoated red chilies. These results indicated that the CMC/CNC composite film may have promising application potential as edible food packaging material.

Synthesis of a New Imidazole Amino Acid Ionic Liquid Polymer and Selective Adsorption Performance for Tea Polyphenols.

A series of imidazolium ionic liquid monomers with L-Proline anions (ViImCn-L-Pro and (ViIm)2Cn(L-Pro)2) were firstly synthesized, after which new copolymer materials were prepared by polymerization of the ionic liquid monomers with N,N'-methylene diacrylamide (MBA). Polymerization conditions, including the ratio of Ils(ViImCn-L-Pro or (ViIm)2Cn(L-Pro)2) and MBA, solvent, ionic liquids and initiator's amount, were investigated and found to have an important effect on the adsorption capacity. Polymerization conditions were shown to have more significant impacts on adsorption capacities in the following order: the ratio of Ils and MBA > the amount of initiator > ionic liquids > solvent. The polymers were characterized by IR, EA, SEM, particle size distribution and TG. One of the polymers exhibited the highest selective adsorption capacity of tea polyphenols (521 mg/g). which was significantly higher than other adsorption media. The absorbed tea polyphenols could be desorbed readily with 2% hydrochloric acid methanol solution as eluent. The polymer material could maintain a higher adsorption capacity after four reuses. Based on this polymer, a new method for the efficient separation of tea polyphenols from tea water could be developed.

Fabrication and characterization of cellulose nanoparticles from maize stalk pith via ultrasonic-mediated cationic etherification.

In this study, parenchyma cellulose, which was extracted from maize stalk pith as an abundant source of agricultural residues, was applied for preparing cellulose nanoparticles (CNPs) via an ultrasound-assisted etherification and a subsequent sonication process. The ultrasonic-assisted treatment greatly improved the modification of the pith cellulose with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride, leading to a partial increase in the dissolubility of the as-obtained product and thus disintegration of sheet-like cellulose into nanoparticles. While the formation of CNPs by ultrasonication was largely dependent on the cellulose consistency in the cationic-modified system. Under the condition of 25% cellulose consistency, the longer sono-treated duration yielded a more stable and dispersible suspension of CNP due to its higher zeta potential. Degree of substitution and FT-IR analyses indicated that quaternary ammonium salts were grafted onto hydroxyl groups of cellulose chain. SEM and TEM images exhibited the CNP to have spherical morphology with an average dimeter from 15 to 55 nm. XRD investigation revealed that CNPs consisted mainly of a crystalline cellulose Ι structure, and they had a lower crystallinity than the starting cellulose. Moreover, thermogravimetric results illustrated the thermal resistance of the CNPs was lower than the pith cellulose. The optimal CNP with highly cationic charges, good stability and acceptable thermostability might be considered as one of the alternatively renewable reinforcement additives for nanocomposite production.

Sulfated modification, characterization, and potential bioactivities of polysaccharide from the fruiting bodies of Russula virescens.

The water-soluble polysaccharide from fruiting bodies of Russula virescens (RVP) was sulfated using sulfur trioxide·pyridine complex method under different reaction conditions. Five sulfated RVP derivatives (SRVP1-5, SRV1-10, SRVP1-15, SRVP1-20 and SRVP1-25) with different degrees of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.34 to 0.73 were prepared. Several structural features of RVP and SRVPs including chemical structure, monosaccharide composition, molecular weight and chain conformation were investigated. The spectra results indicated that the sulfate groups were successfully introduced on RVP. The molecular weights of SRVP decreased with the increasing DS. Both RVP and SRVPs were mainly composed of mannose, glucose and galactose, with different molar ratios. The triple-helical conformation was broken down into a random coil when the DS exceeded 0.34. In vitro activity test results indicated that the SRVPs showed better antioxidant, anticoagulant, antibacterial and anti-tumor activities compared with RVP. Among the five sulfated derivatives, SRVP1-25 exhibited the strongest ABTS and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities and anticoagulant activity, while SRVP1-20 showed the best antibacterial activity and anti-tumor activity. These results demonstrated that the SRVPs could be developed as one of potential antioxidant, anticoagulant, antibacterial and anti-tumor agents for industrial and biomedical use.

Preparation and comparative assessment of regenerated cellulose films from corn (Zea mays) stalk pulp fines in DMAc/LiCl solution.

In this study, cellulosic fines were separated from corn stalk soda-anthraquinone (AQ) pulp, then dissolved in DMAc/LiCl solvent system and regenerated to form films. Pulp fines was separated from pulp fibers using different standard sieves. The results exhibited that the value of specific surface area for fines was increased with the reduction of particle size. The cellulose of fines was successfully dissolved in DMAc/LiCl solution and regenerated as biopolymeric films in the water bath. Mechanical properties of regenerated cellulose films were enhanced with the increase of raw-material fineness from 120 to 300 mesh. It was exhibited a remarkable decrease on the values of tensile strength and maximum decomposition temperature of the regenerated cellulose film from 500-mesh fines, indicating that too small dimensions of cellulosic particles took disadvantages on physical strength and thermostability.

Improved thermal stability of regenerated cellulose films from corn (Zea mays) stalk pith using facile preparation with low-concentration zinc chloride dissolving.

In this study, an improved facile cellulose dissolution with low chemical concentration process was used for preparing corn stalk pith regenerated cellulose (RC) films. The conventional method usually requires 68% zinc chloride solution for cellulose dissolution. The objective of this study is produced corn stalk pith RC films by using a low-concentration zinc chloride solution with improved thermal stability. The major weight loss peak temperature of RC films was increased from 231 °C to 307 °C as the crystallinity indexes increased from 48.30% to 53.19% by decreased the concentration of zinc chloride solution from 65% to 45%, respectively. The increased thermal stability can create new opportunities for the development of RC films dissolving by zinc chloride solution.