• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.42-52
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• 2015

In this study, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were modified through carboxymethylation or TEMPO-mediated oxidation and their effects on ionicity and characteristics of sheet, film, and foam were investigated. Carboxymethylation was carried out on pulp fibers as a pre-treatment before preparation of CNF. The gel-like and translucent CNF hydrogel was obtained by grinding of carboxymethylated cellulose fibers. Carboxymethylated CNF film and freeze dried sheet showed higher transparency than that of untreated CNF. The CNF sheet with high strength and the CNF foam without large ice crystals were obtained by using the carboxymethylated CNF. TEMPO-mediated oxidation was carried out as a post-treatment of CNF. The zeta potential and charge demand of TEMPO-oxidized CNF were increased with an increase in oxidation time and addition amount of NaClO. The density of sheet made of TEMPO oxidized CNF was increased with the amount of oxidizing agent. The TEMPO oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN) which was obtained from supernatant after centrifugation could be converted to transparent film.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2016

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) was made from oil palm trunk (OPT) with soda-anthraquinone pulping, chlorine dioxide bleaching, carboxymethylation, followed by mechanical grinding. Size of this CNF was 16-40 nm of width confirmed by TEM. To evaluate CNF from OPT as cosmetics raw materials for moisturizing component, water holding properties was compared with hyaluronic acid and collagen. CNF from OPT had better water holding property than collagen or hyaluronic acid whether phenoxyethanol was added as antiseptic or without additive.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.78-86
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• 2014

Since cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) has large specific surface area and high water holding capacity, it is very difficult task to remove water from the CNF suspension. However, dewatering of CNF suspension is a prerequisite of following processes such as mat forming and drying for the application of CNF. In this study, we evaluated the drainage of cellulose fibers suspension under vacuum and pressure conditions depending on the number of grinding passes. Also, the effect of the addition of cationic polyelectrolyte on dewatering ability of CNF suspension was investigated. Regardless of dewatering condition, the total drained water amount as well as the drainage rate were decreased with an increase in the number of grinding passes. Pressure dewatering equipment enables us to prepare wet CNF mat with relatively higher grammage. The cationic polyelectrolytes improved the dewatering ability of CNF suspension by controlling the zeta potential of CNF. The fast drainage was obtained when CNF suspension had around neutral zeta potential.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.464-470
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• 2014

A chemo-mechanical method was used to prepare lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils(L-CNF) from unbleached woodpulps dispersed uniformly in an organic solvent. L-CNF/PLA composites were obtained by solvent casting method. The effects of L-CNF concentration on the composite performances were characterized by tensile test machine, contact angle machine, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The tensile test results indicated that the tensile strength and elongation-at-break increased by 50.6% and 31.8% compared with pure PLA. The contact angle of PLA composites decreased from $79.3^{\circ}$ to $68.9^{\circ}$. The FTIR analysis successfully showed that L-CNF had formed intermolecular hydrogen bonding with PLA matrix.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2014

This work undertook to prepare nanofibers of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite by electrospinning, and characterize the electrospun composite nanofibers. Different contents of CNFs isolated from hardwood bleached kraft pulp (HW-BKP) by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy radical (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation were suspended in aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution, and then electrospun into CNF/PVA composite nanofibers. The morphology and dimension of CNFs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that CNFs were fibrillated form with the diameter of about $7.07{\pm}0.99$ nm. Morphology of the electrospun nanofiber observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that uniform CNF/PVA composite nanofibers were manufactured at 1~3% CNF contents while many beads were observed at 5% CNF level. Both the viscosity of CNF/PVA solution and diameter of the electrospun nanofiber decreased with an increase in CNF content. The diameter and its distribution of the electrospun nanofibers helped explain the differences observed in their morphology. These results show that the electrospinning method was successful in preparing uniform CNF/PVA nanofibers, indicating a great potential for manufacturing consistent and reliable cellulose-based nanofibrils for scaffolds in future applications.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.110-116
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• 2021

In this work, the surface of hydrophilic cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) was modified precisely by varying amounts of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to produce CNF-based particle surfactants. We found that a critical CTAB density was required to generate amphiphilic CTAB-grafted CNF (CNF-CTAB). Compared to pristine CNF, CNF-CTAB was highly efficient at stabilizing oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. To evaluate their effectiveness as particle surfactants, the surface coverage of oil-in-water emulsion droplets was determined by changing the CNF-CTAB concentration in the aqueous phase. Furthermore, styrene-in-water stabilized by CNF-CTAB surfactants was thermally polymerized to produce CNF-stabilized polystyrene (PS) particles, offering a great potential for various applications including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and petrochemicals.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.384-392
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• 2021

Growing pollution due to industrialization leads to difficulties in survival of mankind. Generation of clean water from wastewater by membrane separation process is emerging cost efficient technology. Membrane prepared from renewable resources are in lots of demand to reduce burden on synthetic polymers which is one of the source of environmental pollution. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is very pure and distinct form of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). Nanopapers prepared from CNF are used ad ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membrane for different applications. High crystallinity of BC gives rise to excellent mechanical property, an essential criterion for wastewater treatment membrane. In this review, BC based membrane for application in dye, oil, heavy metal and chemical removal from wastewater is discussed.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2022

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) based on wood pulp fibers are gained much attention as part of biocompatible hydrogels for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering scaffolds, biomedicine, and drug carrier. However, CNF hydrogels have relatively poor mechanical properties, impeding their applications requiring high mechanical integrity. In this work, we prepare 2,2,6,6-tetramethylipiperidin-oxyl (TEMPO) oxidated cellulose nanofibrils hydrogels mediated with metal cations, which form the metal-carboxylate coordination bonds for enhanced mechanical strength and toughness. We conduct the large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) test and Live/dead cell assay for obtaining nonlinear viscoelastic parameters and cell viability, respectively. In particular, the cell proliferation and viability change depending on the type of metal salt, which also affected the rheological properties of the hydrogels.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2013

Wet-spun silk fibers have attracted the attention of many researchers because of 1) the unique properties of silk as a biomaterial, including good biocompatibility and cyto-compatability and 2) the various methods available to control the structure and properties of the fiber. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have typically been used as a reinforcing material for natural and synthetic polymers. In this study, CNF-embedded silk fibroin (SF) nanocomposite fibers were prepared for the first time. The effects of CNF content on the rheology of the dope solution and the characteristics of wet-spun CNF/SF composite fibers were also examined. A 5% SF formic acid solution that contained no CNFs showed nearly Newtonian fluid behavior, with slight shear thinning. However, after the addition of 1% CNFs, the viscosity of the dope solution increased significantly, and apparent shear thinning was observed. The maximum draw ratio of the CNF/SF composite fibers decreased as the CNF content increased. Interestingly, the crystallinity index for the silk in the CNF/SF fibers was sequentially reduced as the CNF content was increased. This phenomenon may be due to the fact that the CNFs prevent ${\beta}$-sheet crystallization of the SF by elimination of formic acid from the dope solution during the coagulation process. The CNF/SF composite fibers displayed a relatively smooth surface with stripes, at low magnification (${\times}500$). However, a rugged nanoscale surface was observed at high magnification (${\times}10,000$), and the surface roughness increased with the CNF content.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.380-385
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• 2016

Nanocelluloses, mainly cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC, i.e., defect-free, rod-like crystalline residues after acid hydrolysis of fibers), have been the subject of recent interest. Due to the presence of hydroxyl groups on the surface of nanocelluloses, their surfaces are reactive, making them suitable candidates for reinforcing materials for manufacturing polymer composites. In this study, CNF was used as a reinforcing material for manufacturing cement composites. CNF was prepared by TEMPO (2,2,6,6,-tetramethyl piperidine-1-oxyl radical) oxidation procedure combined with extensive homogenization and ultrasonication. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the suspension showed the width of CNF between 10 and 15 nm. The compressive strength of cement composites containing 0.5% CNF was comparable to that of conventional cement composites. On the other hand, the tensile and flexural strength were improved by 49.7% and 38.8%, respectively, compared to those of conventional cement composites. Also, at an ambient condition, the degree of self-shrinkage reduction reached to 18.9% in one day, followed by 5.9% in 28 days after molding.