The structure and mechanical properties of sheets prepared from bacterial cellulose

Abstract

A preliminary experiment has shown that a sheet-shaped material prepared from bacterial cellulose has remarkable mechanical properties, the Young's modulus being as high as >15 GPa across the plane of the sheet. The mechanical properties were little affected by the fermentation conditions of pellicles and the preparation conditions of the sheets, i.e. the pressing and drying of pellicles. From structural investigations, the high Young's modulus has been ascribed to the unique super-molecular structure in which fibrils of biological origin are preserved and bound tightly by hydrogen bonds. It has also been found that a “pulp” obtained from bacterial cellulose gives a strong paper and is useful for reinforcing conventional pulp papers and enabling paper-making from some fibrous materials.