Self-assembled lignin nanospheres with solid and hollow tunable structures

The fabrication of nanospheres with tailored structure has attracted much attention in material applications. Herein we found that the food additive, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), was able to adjust the solid and hollow structure of lignin nanospheres. At BHT concentrations greater than 0.3 mg/mL in tetrahydrofuran (THF), the obtained lignin nanospheres displayed a hollow structure due to phase separation between THF and water caused by BHT molecules, while the lignin nanospheres obtained without adding BHT exhibited a solid structure. BHT and lignin molecules containing a high content of the carboxy group did not participate in the formation of the nanospheres. Increases in the water stirring and dropping speeds reduced the diameter of the nanospheres, while increasing the initial concentration of lignin and BHT resulted in an increase in nanospheres diameters. Moreover, the shell wall thickness and single hole size could be controlled by employing the concentration of BHT and lignin. This work provides novel insights into the preparation of lignin nanospheres with tunable structures.