1 research outputs found
Aerogel Microspheres from Natural Cellulose Nanofibrils and Their Application as Cell Culture Scaffold
We demonstrated that
ultralight pure natural aerogel microspheres
can be fabricated using cellulose nanofibrials (CNF) directly. Experimentally,
the CNF aqueous gel droplets, produced by spraying and atomizing through
a steel nozzle, were collected into liquid nitrogen for instant freezing
followed by freeze-drying. The aerogel microspheres are highly porous
with bulk density as low as 0.0018 g cm<sup>–3</sup>. The pore
size of the cellulose aeogel microspheres ranges from nano- to macrometers.
The unique ultralight and high porous structure ensured high moisture
(∼90 g g<sup>–1</sup>) and water uptake capacity (∼100
g g<sup>–1</sup>) of the aerogel microspheres. Covalent cross-linking
between the native nanofibrils and cross-linkers made the aerogel
microspheres very stable even in a harsh environment. The present
study also confirmed this kind of aerogel microspheres from native
cellulose fibers can be used as cell culture scaffold