Abstract
The objective of this work was to compare the adsorption of different polysaccharides and cellulose derivatives on cellulose nanofibril films. Cellulose films having the native cellulose I structure were prepared from hardwood kraft pulp by extensive mechanical disintegration. Further fractionation enabled the preparation of reproducible, nanometer-scale thickness films. Systematic comparison by Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) showed that various industrially available galactomannans have almost as good affinity to cellulose surface as xyloglucan and that most of the polysaccharides attach irreversibly to cellulose nanofibrils at low pH (4.5) and intermediate ionic strength (10 mM). SPR results support the QCM-D findings. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging and Digital Pulsed Force Mode (DPFM) measurements further confirmed that a uniform non-aggregated layer of polysaccharides was formed that changed the properties of the NFC film.Download PDF