In recent years, nanocellulose-based antimicrobial materials have attracted a great deal of attention due to their unique and potentially useful features. In this review, several representative types of nanocellulose and modification methods for antimicrobial applications are mainly focused on. Recent literature related with the preparation and applications of nanocellulose-based antimicrobial materials is reviewed. The fabrication of nanocellulose-based antimicrobial materials for wound dressings, drug carriers, and packaging materials is the focus of the research. The most important additives employed in the preparation of nanocellulose-based antimicrobial materials are presented, such as antibiotics, metal, and metal oxide nanoparticles, as well as chitosan. These nanocellulose-based antimicrobial materials can benefit many applications including wound dressings, drug carriers, and packaging materials. Finally, the challenges of industrial production and potentials for development of nanocellulose-based antimicrobial materials are discussed.
A novel catalytic
oxidation process based on the Fenton reaction
(H2O2–FeSO4) was developed
to pretreat cellulose fibers for the preparation of cellulose nanofibrils
(CNF). In the so-called modified Fenton process, softwood bleached
kraft pulp (SWBK) fibers were utilized as individual microreactors
to carry out efficient in situ oxidation of cellulose chains, which
in turn facilitated nanofibrillation of fibers in subsequent mechanical
treatment. Ferrous ions were preloaded into the fiber cell wall by
adsorption and diffusion, which initiated the catalytic oxidation
of cellulose simultaneously inside the fiber cell wall structure when
hydrogen peroxide was introduced. The C2, C3, and C6-hydroxyl groups on the glucosyl of cellulose
chains were oxidized to carboxyl groups, which could enhance the separation
of micro/nanofibrils by increasing the electrostatic repulsion of
the fibrils. The carboxyl group content was found to increase from
39 to 56 mmol/kg after the oxidation pretreatment. The oxidation also
caused breakage of the 1,4-β-d-glucoside bonds of cellulose
chains and dramatically decreased the degree of polymerization (DP)
of the cellulose macromolecules. The oxidized SWBK fibers were well
dispersed into cellulose nanofibrils in the subsequent homogenization
treatment. The obtained CNF had a uniform distribution of cellulose
fibrils with an average diameter of less than 100 nm.
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