Kuisma Littunen

Network formation of nanofibrillated cellulose in solution blended poly(methyl methacrylate) composites

Composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) were prepared by solution blending and further processed by injection and compression molding. To improve adhesion at the PMMA/NFC interface, the nanofibrils were covalently grafted with PMMA. Formation of a percolating nanofibril network was observed between 1 and 5 wt.% of NFC by dynamic rotational rheometry in molten state. This observation was further supported by the behavior of glass transition temperature which decreased at low NFC concentrations but recovered above the percolation threshold, indicating a decreased mobility of the matrix polymer. This effect was more pronounced with ungrafted NFC, possibly due to a stronger network. The unmodified NFC induced a minor degradation of the molar mass of PMMA. As thin plates, the composites were transparent at low NFC concentrations but became partially aggregated at the highest NFC concentrations. Despite the continuous NFC network, tensile testing showed no improvement of the mechanical properties.

Determination of surface-accessible acidic hydroxyls and surface area of lignin by cationic dye adsorption

A new colorimetric method for determining the surface-accessible acidic lignin hydroxyl groups in lignocellulose solid fractions was developed. The method is based on selective adsorption of Azure B, a basic dye, onto acidic hydroxyl groups of lignin. Selectivity of adsorption of Azure B on lignin was demonstrated using lignin and cellulose materials as adsorbents. Adsorption isotherms of Azure B on wheat straw (WS), sugarcane bagasse (SGB), oat husk, and isolated lignin materials were determined. The maximum adsorption capacities predicted by the Langmuir isotherms were used to calculate the amounts of surface-accessible acidic hydroxyl groups. WS contained 1.7-times more acidic hydroxyls (0.21 mmol/g) and higher surface area of lignin (84 m(2)/g) than SGB or oat husk materials. Equations for determining the amount of surface-accessible acidic hydroxyls in solid fractions of the three plant materials by a single point measurement were developed. A method for high-throughput characterization of lignocellulosic materials is now available.

Effect of xylan structure on reactivity in graft copolymerization and subsequent binding to cellulose.

The grafting reactivities with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) of five xylans from hardwood and cereal sources were compared. The structural property that best predicted the reactivities of xylans with GMA was the fraction of 4-O-methylglucuronic acid (MeGlcA) substitution. A comparatively high level of arabinose substitution was also positively correlated to reactivity with GMA. The impact of MeGlcA and arabinose branching groups is likely attributed to the solubilizing effect of these substituents. Consistent with this prediction, low water solubility and high lignin content were found to hinder reactivity. Even though oligomeric substrates have the advantage of water solubility, modified xylo-oligosaccharides were difficult to purify. Accordingly, delignified and high-molecular weight xylans that are soluble or dispersible in water are best suited for this type of backbone derivatization. Adsorption studies with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation indicated that grafting lowered the total adsorption of arabinoxylan but did not significantly affect the fraction of xylans adsorbed irreversibly on cellulose.

Enzymatically Debranched Xylans in Graft Copolymerization

Wheat arabinoxylan was treated with two α-arabinofuranosidases exhibiting different mode of action to create three different polymeric substrates. These three substrate preparations were characterized by xylopyranose backbone sugars that are (1) singly substituted by arabinose at C2 or C3, (2) doubly substituted by arabinose at C2 and C3, and (3) largely unsubstituted. All xylan preparations were grafted with glycidyl methacrylate using cerium ammonium nitrate and then evaluated in terms of graft yield and adsorption to cellulose surfaces. The highest graft yield was observed for the xylan preparation characterized by a largely unsubstituted xylopyranose backbone. Furthermore, QCM-D analyses revealed that grafted xylans exhibited a two-stage desorption pattern, which was not seen with the ungrafted xylans and was consistent with increased water sorption. Accordingly, this study demonstrates the potential of arabinofuranosidases to increase the yield and influence the viscoelastic properties of grafted xylans used as biobased cellulose coatings.