title: Cellulose gel dispersion: From pure hydrogel suspensions to encapsulated oil-in-water emulsions.
abstract: Cellulose hydrogel particles were fabricated from molecularly-dissolved cellulose/IL solutions. The characteristics of the formed hydrogels (cellulose content, particles' size and porosity) were determined as a function of cellulose concentration in the precursor solutions. There is a significant change in the hydrogel structure when the initial cellulose solution concentration increases above about 7-9%wt. These changes include increase of the cellulose content in the hydrogel, and decrease in its pore size. The finest cellulose particle dispersions can be obtained using low concentration cellulose/IL solutions (cellulose concentration in dispersion less than 2%wt.) or hydrogels (concentration less than 1%wt.) in a dispersing medium consisting of IL with no more than 20%wt. water. Stable paraffin oil-in-water emulsions are achieved by mixing oil and water with cellulose/IL solutions. The optimal conditions for obtaining the finest particles (about 20μm in diameter) are attained using cellulose solutions of concentration between 0.7 and 4%wt. at temperature of 70°C and oil/cellulose mass ratios between 1 and 1.5.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel. Electronic address: sofiana234@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Napso
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel. Electronic address: cerycdr@tx.technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Dmitry M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rein
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel. Electronic address: rafail@tx.technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Rafail
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khalfin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel. Electronic address: olgak@technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kleinerman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel. Electronic address: yachinc@tx.technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yachin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D004655:Emulsions; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009821:Oils; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D020100:Hydrogels; D009821:Oils; D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: Cellulose hydrogel; Cellulose solution; Oil-in-water emulsion; Regenerated cellulose dispersion