title: Preparation of aligned porous chitin nanowhisker foams by directional freeze-casting technique.
abstract: Structured biofoams with aligned porous structures were fabricated from nanosized chitin by employing a directional freeze-casting technique. The effects of the freezing conditions and slurry formulation on nanochitin foam morphology were investigated. The morphology of obtained foams was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the pore structure of the obtained foams was a likewise of the ice crystals formed during the directional freezing. The results indicate that directional freeze-casting protocol can significantly influence the morphological features and microstructures of the obtained biofoams which could have numerous applications, including engineered carriers, scaffolds, filters and specifically as a template for potential multi-layered composites after infusion with a second phase.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China; Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Shiyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Yunqiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Shaobo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. Electronic address: arthur.ragauskas@chemistry.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ragauskas
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry*; D005615:Freezing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D055682:Viscoelastic Substances / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D055682:Viscoelastic Substances; D002686:Chitin; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: Aligned porous structures; Chitin foams; Directional freeze–casting; Slurry formulation