Emerging Applications of Cellulose Nanofibers

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth. In addition, it is renewable, biodegradable, and relatively cheap. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have been produced most commonly from plants, algae, and bacteria. They can be isolated, e.g., from wood-derived fibers that have been microrefined to microlevel and even to nanolevel. In this chapter, we comprehensively review the unique properties and emerging applications of CNFs. We anticipate that CNFs as a new environmentally friendly material will be widely used in many areas such as reinforcement of polymers, energy production and energy storage, environmental protection and improvement, and healthcare. Therefore, there is a necessary to do more research on the potential emerging applications of CNFs

Investigation of the effects of starch on the physical and biological properties of polyacrylamide (PAAm)/starch nanofibers

Abstract Here, we report the development of a new polyacrylamide (PAAm)/starch nanofibers’ blend system and highlight its potential as substrate for efficient enzyme immobilization. PAAm was synthesized and blended with starch. The final blend was then electrospun into nanofibers. The response surface methodology was used to analyze the parameters that control nanofiber’s diameter. Electrospun mat was then modified either by cross-linking or phytase immobilization using silane coupling agent and glutaraldehyde chemistry. Physico-chemical properties of blends were investigated using spectroscopic and thermal studies. The evaluation of immobilized enzyme kinetics on both pure and the starch blended PAAm nanofibers was performed using Michaelis–Menten kinetic curves. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results along with differential scanning and X-ray diffraction confirmed that blending was successfully accomplished. TGA analysis also demonstrated that the presence of starch enhances the thermal degradability of PAAm nanofibers. Finally, it was shown that addition of starch to PAAm increases the efficacies of enzyme loading and, therefore, significantly enhances the activity as well as kinetics of the immobilized enzyme on electrospun blend mats