Sedat Ondaral

Adsorption of Xyloglucan onto Cellulose Surfaces of Different Morphologies: An Entropy-Driven Process

The temperature-dependence of xyloglucan (XG) adsorption onto smooth cellulose model films regenerated from N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) was investigated using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, and it was found that the adsorbed amount increased with increasing temperature. This implies that the adsorption of XG to NMMO-regenerated cellulose is endothermic and supports the hypothesis that the adsorption of XG onto cellulose is an entropy-driven process. We suggest that XG adsorption is mainly driven by the release of water molecules from the highly hydrated cellulose surfaces and from the XG molecules, rather than through hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces as previously suggested. To test this hypothesis, the adsorption of XG onto cellulose was studied using cellulose films with different morphologies prepared from cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), semicrystalline NMMO-regenerated cellulose, and amorphous cellulose regenerated from lithium chloride/dimethylacetamide. The total amount of high molecular weight xyloglucan (XGHMW) adsorbed was studied by quartz crystal microbalance and reflectometry measurements, and it was found that the adsorption was greatest on the amorphous cellulose followed by the CNC and NMMO-regenerated cellulose films. There was a significant correlation between the cellulose dry film thickness and the adsorbed XG amount, indicating that XG penetrated into the films. There was also a correlation between the swelling of the films and the adsorbed amounts and conformation of XG, which further strengthened the conclusion that the water content and the subsequent release of the water upon adsorption are important components of the adsorption process.

Surface-Induced Rearrangement of Polyelectrolyte Complexes : Influence of Complex Composition on Adsorbed Layer Properties

The adsorption characteristics of two different types of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), prepared by mixing poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) in a confined impinging jet (CIJ) mixer, have been investigated with the aid of stagnation point adsorption reflectometry (SPAR), a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) using SiO(2) surfaces. The two sets of PEC were prepared by combining high molecular mass PAH/PAA (PEC-A) and low molecular mass PAH/PAA (PEC-B). The PEC-A showed a higher adsorption to the SiO(2) surfaces than the PEC-B. The adsorption of the PEC-A also showed a larger change in the dissipation (ΔD), according to the QCM-D measurements, suggesting that the adsorbed layer of these complexes had a relatively lower viscosity and a lower shear modulus. Complementary investigations of the adsorbed layer using AFM imaging showed that the adsorbed layer of PEC-A was significantly different from that of PEC-B and that the changes in properties with adsorption time were very different for the two types of PECs. The PEC-A complexes showed a coalescence into larger block of complexes on the SiO(2) surface, but this was not detected with the PEC-B. The size determinations of the complexes in solution showed that they were very stable over time, and it was therefore concluded that the coalescence of the complexes was induced by the interaction between the complexes and the surface. The results also indicated that polyelectrolytes can migrate between the different complexes adsorbed to the surface. The results also give indications that the preparation of PEC-B leads to the formation of two different types of polyelectrolyte complexes differing in the amount of polymer in the complexes; i.e., two populations of complexes were formed with similar sizes but with totally different adsorption structures at the solid-liquid interface.

Termite Resistance of MDF Panels Treated with Various Boron Compounds

In this study, the effects of various boron compounds on the termite resistance of MDF panels were evaluated. Either borax (BX), boric acid (BA), zinc borate (ZB), or sodium perborate tetrahydrate (SPT) were added to urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin at target contents of 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% based on dry fiber weight. The panels were then manufactured using 12% urea-formaldehyde resin and 1% NH4Cl. MDF samples from the panels were tested against the subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Laboratory termite resistance tests showed that all samples containing boron compounds had greater resistance against termite attack compared to untreated MDF samples. At the second and third weeks of exposure, nearly 100% termite mortalities were recorded in all boron compound treated samples. The highest termite mortalities were determined in the samples with either BA or BX. Also, it was found that SPT showed notable performance on the termite mortality. As chemical loadings increased, termite mortalities increased, and at the same time the weight losses of the samples decreased.

Effect of fiber modification with carboxymethyl cellulose on the efficiency of a microparticle flocculation system

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has been used widely to enhance dry strength of paper and uniformity of sheet in the papermaking industry. Besides these positive effects, it may affect the fines retention and dewatering processes negatively. These negative effects are mainly seen when fiber modifications with high CMC dosages are studied in laboratory scale. In this paper, the effect of fiber modification with CMC on the deposition of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and on the dewatering process in the presence of cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM)/bentonite microparticle flocculation system is examined. It was determined that fiber modification with 10 mg g−1 of CMC decreased PCC deposition at the initial addition of CPAM and gave better PCC deposition at 2 mg g−1 of CPAM. It was also observed that PCC deposition on unmodified fibers is higher at lower CPAM concentration. PCC deposition was found as almost stable after a maximum value obtained at 0.5 mg g−1 of bentonite concentration for fiber modified with 40 mg g−1 of CMC. This indicates that interaction between CPAM and bentonite particles changed due to higher surface charge and CMC conformation on fibers. Results of the dewatering experiments showed that CMC modification increased the drainage time due to a denser and more plugged sheet. This negative effect was compensated with higher concentrations of CPAM and bentonite. On the other hand, dewatering is also affected by the mass ratio of CMC and CPAM, which was not the optimum one in this study at lower of CPAM. Thus, the increase in the drainage time in the presence of CMC on the fiber surface could be also caused by incorrect ratios of chemicals because the effect of CMC on the drainage time was not observed at higher concentrations of CPAM.

Chitosan adsorption on nanofibrillated cellulose with different aldehyde content and interaction with phosphate buffered saline

The chitosan adsorption on films prepared using nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) with different content of aldehyde group was studied by means of Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D). Results showed that frequency change (Δf) was higher when the chitosan adsorbed on NFC film consisting more aldehyde group indicating the higher adsorption. The (Δf) and dissipation (ΔD) factors completely changed during adsorption of chitosan pre-treated with acetic acid: Δf increased and ΔD decreased, oppositely to un-treated chitosan adsorption. After acid treatment, molecular weight and crystallinity index of chitosan decreased addition to change in chemical structure. It was found that more phosphate buffered saline (PBS), as a model liquid for wound exudate, adsorbed to acid treated chitosan-NFC film, especially to film having more aldehyde groups. Comparing with bare NFC film, chitosan-NFC films adsorbed less PBS because chitosan crosslinked the NFC network and blocked the functional groups of NFC and thus, preventing swelling film.