Nanocellulose is an emerging biopolymer with increasing interest from a variety of engineering fields. Given the complex textural properties and structural changes induced by drying, understanding the dehydration dynamics of nanocellulose is highly important. However, common bulk characterization techniques cannot be performed in real working conditions and usually require aggressive sample preparation. As an alternative, time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) can be applied with minimum interference. Here, well-established drying kinetic models and TD-NMR relaxometry were used to monitor water evaporation in a cellulose nanofiber slurry. The applied equations reasonably predicted the moisture contents from gravimetry but provided no information about the fluid/solid distribution during the drying event. As a complement, relaxometry results indicated the presence of water in different confinement environments based on obtained transverse relaxation time distributions. Free (bulk) water was observed during the initial 24 h of drying, and intrapore water presented a bimodal fashion with similar temporal trends but different rates. Lastly, the drying kinetic models were applied to the ratio of areas obtained from T 2 curves with a notable fit. The results discussed here support the use of relaxometry experiments as a viable method for drying kinetic studies with potential expansion to a myriad of wetted systems.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.