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Preparation and characterization of cellulose nanofibers from partly mercerized cotton by mixed acid hydrolysis

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Abstract

Cellulose nanofibers with a diameter of 70 nm and lengths of approximately 400 nm were fabricated from partly mercerized cotton fibers by acid hydrolysis. Morphological evolution of the hydrolyzed cotton fibers was investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The XRD results show that the cellulose I was partially transformed into cellulose II by treatment with 15 % NaOH at 150° for 3 h. The crystallinity of this partially mercerized sample was lower than the samples that were converted completely to cellulose II by higher concentrations of NaOH. The intensities of all of the diffraction peaks were noticeably increased with increased hydrolysis time. Fourier transform infrared results revealed that the chemical composition of the remaining nanofibers of cellulose I and II had no observable change after acidic hydrolysis, and there was no difference between the hydrolysis rates for cellulose I or II. The formation of cellulose nanofibers involves three stages: net-like microfibril formation, then short microfibrils and finally nanofibers.

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Acknowledgments

The work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (grant no. 61079010). We are also grateful for the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (3122013P001). The authors thank Alfred D. French for constructive advice on the preparation of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Aerochemistry, College of Science, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, 300300, People’s Republic of China

    Yan Li, Guozhu Li, Yunling Zou, Qingjun Zhou & Xiaoxue Lian

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  1. Yan Li
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  2. Guozhu Li
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  3. Yunling Zou
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  4. Qingjun Zhou
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  5. Xiaoxue Lian
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Correspondence to Yan Li.

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Li, Y., Li, G., Zou, Y. et al. Preparation and characterization of cellulose nanofibers from partly mercerized cotton by mixed acid hydrolysis. Cellulose 21, 301–309 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-013-0146-6

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