The Simultaneous Production of Two Distinct Types of Cellulose Nanocrystals

We develop a route to prepare two types of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs, CNC1 and CNC2) from a unique biomass resource, the fruit shell of Camellia oleifera Abel (SCOA), by integrating sulfuric acid hydrolysis and high-pressure homogenization and examine the effects of hydrolysis time on characteristics of the CNCs during the process. The CNCs exhibit different evolutions in size, morphology, surface charge, and crystallinity with increasing hydrolysis time. While both the CNCs have high crystallinity, CNC1 is of rod-like character with a relatively low aspect ratio, and CNC2 exhibits a hairy appearance with a high aspect ratio. We highlight that controlled acid hydrolysis contributes to the formation of weak spots with an increased susceptibility for homogenizing cellulosic solid residues into hairy CNCs. This is a good step toward tailoring CNC properties in a conventional and scalable approach to maximize their potential applications.

Automated summary

We have developed a method to prepare cellulose nanocrystals from the fruit shell of Camellia oleifera Abel. The hydrolysis time has been found to affect the characteristics of the nanocrystals, such as size, morphology, surface charge, and crystallinity. This controlled acid hydrolysis approach offers a conventional and scalable way to tailor the properties of cellulose nanocrystals.