title: Elastic modulus of single cellulose microfibrils from tunicate measured by atomic force microscopy.
abstract: The elastic modulus of single microfibrils from tunicate ( Halocynthia papillosa ) cellulose was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Microfibrils with cross-sectional dimensions 8 x 20 nm and several micrometers in length were obtained by oxidation of cellulose with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) as a catalyst and subsequent mechanical disintegration in water and by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The nanocellulosic materials were deposited on a specially designed silicon wafer with grooves 227 nm in width, and a three-point bending test was applied to determine the elastic modulus using an AFM cantilever. The elastic moduli of single microfibrils prepared by TEMPO-oxidation and acid hydrolysis were 145.2 +/- 31.3 and 150.7 +/- 28.8 GPa, respectively. The result showed that the experimentally determined modulus of the highly crystalline tunicate microfibrils was in agreement with the elastic modulus of native cellulose crystals.
authors: Department of Biomaterial Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors: Shinichiro
authors: S
authors: Iwamoto
authors: Weihua
authors: W
authors: Kai
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Isogai
authors: Tadahisa
authors: T
authors: Iwata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D006868:Hydrolysis; D020894:Microfibrils / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D014561:Urochordata / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose