title: Reinforcement of bacterial cellulose aerogels with biocompatible polymers.
abstract: Bacterial cellulose (BC) aerogels, which are fragile, ultra-lightweight, open-porous and transversally isotropic materials, have been reinforced with the biocompatible polymers polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), cellulose acetate (CA), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), respectively, at varying BC/polymer ratios. Supercritical carbon dioxide anti-solvent precipitation and simultaneous extraction of the anti-solvent using scCO2 have been used as core techniques for incorporating the secondary polymer into the BC matrix and to convert the formed composite organogels into aerogels. Uniaxial compression tests revealed a considerable enhancement of the mechanical properties as compared to BC aerogels. Nitrogen sorption experiments at 77K and scanning electron micrographs confirmed the preservation (or even enhancement) of the surface-area-to-volume ratio for most of the samples. The formation of an open-porous, interpenetrating network of the second polymer has been demonstrated by treatment of BC/PMMA hybrid aerogels with EMIM acetate, which exclusively extracted cellulose, leaving behind self-supporting organogels.
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Division of Chemistry of Renewables, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, A-3430 Tulln, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pircher
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Wood Science, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, A-3430 Tulln, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veigel
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Division of Chemistry of Renewables, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, A-3430 Tulln, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aigner
authors.affiliation: Clermont Université, ENSCCF, Institute of Chemistry of Clermont-Ferrand, BP 10448, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France; CNRS, UMR 6296, ICCF, 24 av. des Landais, 63171 Aubière, France.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nedelec
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Division of Chemistry of Renewables, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, A-3430 Tulln, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rosenau
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Division of Chemistry of Renewables, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, A-3430 Tulln, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: falk.liebner@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liebner
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002482:Cellulose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry*; D041822:Gluconacetobacter xylinus / Q000737:chemistry*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C016240:polycaprolactone; D019344:Lactic Acid; C005062:acetylcellulose; C033616:poly(lactide); D002482:Cellulose; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate
keywords: Bacterial cellulose; Cellulose composite materials; Cellulosic aerogels; Interpenetrating polymer networks; Reinforcement; Supercritical carbon dioxide