Suspension of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) produced from bleached cotton by controlled sulphuric acid hydrolysis was treated with low frequency ultrasound at 20 kHz and 60% amplitude for 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 min and the effects of sonication on the properties of both the cellulose nanocrystals and their aqueous suspensions were investigated. Furthermore, a series of nanocellulose films were manufactured from the suspensions that were sonicated for different periods of time and tested. Laser diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy proved that sonication not only disintegrated the large NCC aggregates (Dv50 14.7 μm) to individual nanowhiskers with an average length and width of 171 ± 57 and 17 ± 4 nm, respectively, but also degraded the nanocrystals and yielded shorter and thinner particles (118 ± 45 and 13 ± 3 nm, respectively) at 10-min sonication. The ultrasound-assisted disintegration to nano-sized cellulose whiskers decreased the optical haze of suspensions from 98.4% to 52.8% with increasing time from 0 to 10 min, respectively. Sonication of the suspensions significantly contributed to the preparation of films with low haze (high transparency) and excellent tensile properties. With the increasing duration of sonication, the haze decreased and the tensile strength rose gradually. Irrespectively of sonication, however, all films had an outstanding oxygen transmission rate in a range of 5.5-6.9 cm(3)/m(2)day, and a poor thermal stability.

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Ceramic hollow fibers were prepared by the phase inversion and sintering method using niobium pentoxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) as an innovative starting material. X-ray diffraction and Raman analyses revealed the same monoclinic crystalline phase for the ceramic material, H-Nb 2 O 5 , at all the evaluated sintering temperatures. According to SEM images, the starting material was composed of polydisperse particles of irregular size and shape with sizes ranging from 12.5 to 89.7 μm. The increase in the sintering temperature caused particles agglomeration. In the hollow fiber precursor (without sintering), Nb 2 O 5 grains were surrounded by the coagulated polymer. The polymeric phase was eliminated when the fibers were sintered at temperatures above 600°C. When sintered at 1350°C, the outer surface of the fiber presented elongated crystals of well-defined shape, while agglomerated round shape grains were observed at the inner surface of the fiber. Formation of these elongated crystals was probable due to the material sintering at high temperatures (up to 1350°C) for more than 300 minutes. This study demonstrated the potential for general applicability of niobium pentoxide to fabricate ceramic hollow fiber membranes. K E Y W O R D Shollow fibers, niobium pentoxide, phase inversion, sintering technique

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