Abstract
The size and functional groups of cellulose fiber are critical for preparing ZnO/cellulose composites. Unfortunately, there has been little research on the relationship between acetyl groups of cellulose fiber and the morphology and photocatalytic property of ZnO/cellulose composite. Herein, the mechanism of acetyl groups regulating the morphology and photocatalytic property of ZnO/cellulose composite is systematically investigated. Fractal dimension analysis is innovatively employed, which aims to demonstrate that the cellulose fiber size and the three-dimensional network structure of ZnO/cellulose composites are similar. Inspired by physicochemical analyses, it can be concluded that acetyl groups on the cellulose fiber surface can facilitate the formation, attachment, and dispersion of larger and more ZnO nanoflowers, which is conducive to the photocatalytic property of ZnO/cellulose composites. Overall, we hope this work can offer theoretical guidance for preparing an efficient and green ZnO/cellulose composite with controllable morphology and structure in photocatalytic applications.
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The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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We are grateful for financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570576; 22078162), Postgraduate Research &Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX21_0884), and Practice Innovation Training Program Projects for the Jiangsu College students (202110298002Z).
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MY: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing-original draft preparation, Investigation, Writing- Reviewing and Editing. BA: Experiment & analysis. ZZ: Experiment & analysis. LZ: Methodology, Writing- Reviewing and Editing, Supervision, Validation. XL: Experiment & analysis. SW: Methodology, Supervision. JM: Methodology, Writing- Reviewing and Editing, Supervision, Validation.
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Yan, M., An, B., Zai, Z. et al. The mechanism of acetyl groups regulating the morphology and photocatalytic properties of ZnO and its cellulose composite. Cellulose 30, 6869–6885 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05344-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05344-z