Jun 14, 2023
Updated: Oct 23, 2023
This work serves as a basis for utilizing the presence of water in novel cellulosic architectures in contemporary materials and thus defining their performance in applications including moisture management of textiles, sustainable production of energy-rich chemicals in solid-state cell factories, porosity management of membranes, electrochemical detection of biomolecules, gas and vapour barriers in packaging.
The morphology of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and hemicellulose layers in thin and thick films strongly suggests that hemicellulose is not a discrete layer on top of the CNCs but fills in the voids in the CNC layer, creating a mutually embedded structure much like that in the plant cell wall.
As an intriguing unexpected finding, novel hemicellulose nanocrystals were obtained in the shape of an anisotropic flake composed of xylan, forming crystallosolvates with DMSO.
The nanocrystals provide new insights into the structure of hemicellulose, leading to a new platform for hemicellulose-based material applications related to, for example, biomimetic toughening, drug delivery, biosensors, and bioactive systems.
Solhi, L., Guccini, V., Heise, K., Solala, I., Niinivaara, E., Xu, W., Mihhels, K., Kröger, M., Meng, Z., Wohlert, J., Tao, H., Cranston, E. D., & Kontturi, E. (2023). Understanding Nanocellulose-Water Interactions: Turning a Detriment into an Asset. Chemical Reviews, 123(5), 1925-2015. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00611
Liljeström, T., Kontturi, K. S., Durairaj, V., Wester, N., Tammelin, T., Laurila, T., & Koskinen, J. (2023). Protein Adsorption and Its Effects on Electroanalytical Performance of Nanocellulose/Carbon Nanotube Composite Electrodes. Biomacromolecules, 24(8), 3806-3818. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00449
Guccini, V., Phiri, J., Trifol, J., Rissanen, V., Mousavi, S. M., Vapaavuori, J., Tammelin, T., Maloney, T., & Kontturi, E. (2022). Tuning the Porosity, Water Interaction, and Redispersion of Nanocellulose Hydrogels by Osmotic Dehydration. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 4(1), 24-28. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.1c01430
Reishofer, D., Resel, R., Sattelkow, J., Fischer, W. J., Niegelhell, K., Mohan, T., Kleinschek, K. S., Amenitsch, H., Plank, H., Tammelin, T., Kontturi, E., & Spirk, S. (2022). Humidity Response of Cellulose Thin Films. Biomacromolecules, 23(3), 1148–1157. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01446
Guccini, V., Yu, S., Meng, Z., Kontturi, E., Demmel, F., & Salazar-Alvarez, G. (2022). The Impact of Surface Charges of Carboxylated Cellulose Nanofibrils on the Water Motions in Hydrated Films. Biomacromolecules, 23(8), 3104-3115. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01517
Rissanen, V., Vajravel, S., Kosourov, S., Arola, S., Kontturi, E., Allahverdiyeva, Y., & Tammelin, T. (2021). Nanocellulose-based mechanically stable immobilization matrix for enhanced ethylene production: a framework for photosynthetic solid-state cell factories. Green Chemistry, 23(10), 3715-3724. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1gc00502b
Meng, Z., Sawada, D., Laine, C., Ogawa, Y., Virtanen, T., Nishiyama, Y., Tammelin, T., & Kontturi, E. (2021). Bottom-up Construction of Xylan Nanocrystals in Dimethyl Sulfoxide. Biomacromolecules, 22(2), 898-906. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01600
Heise, K., Kontturi, E., Allahverdiyeva, Y., Tammelin, T., Linder, M. B., Nonappa, & Ikkala, O. (2021). Nanocellulose : Recent Fundamental Advances and Emerging Biological and Biomimicking Applications. Advanced Materials, 33(3), [2004349]. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202004349
CoC SUPER co-creation project funded by Business Finland
Dual circuit flow battery for hydrogen and value added chemical production (DUALFLOW) funded by the EU
Analytical design of cellulose-based bone-like materials (CEBON) funded by Academy of Finland
Leaf-inspired nanocellulose frameworks for next generation photosynthetic cell-factories (FuturoLeaf) funded by the EU
IMD1 co-innovation project funded by Business Finland