title: Cellulose nanofibers reinforced sodium alginate-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels: Core-shell structure formation and property characterization.
abstract: Core-shell structured hydrogels consisting of a flexible interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) core and a rigid semi-IPN shell were prepared through chemical crosslinking of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) with Ca(2+) and glutaraldehyde. Short cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) extracted from energycane bagasse were incorporated in the hydrogel. The shell was micro-porous and the core was macro-porous. The hydrogels could be used in multiple adsorption-desorption cycles for dyes, and the maximum methyl blue adsorption capacity had a 10% increase after incorporating CNFs. The homogeneous distribution of CNFs in PVA-SA matrix generated additional hydrogen bonds among the polymer molecular chains, resulting in enhanced density, viscoelasticity, and mechanical strength for the hydrogel. Specifically, the compressive strength of the hydrogel reached 79.5kPa, 3.2 times higher than that of the neat hydrogel.
authors.affiliation: School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
authors.forename: Yiying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
authors.forename: Jingquan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
authors.forename: Guangping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Southern Regional Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
authors.forename: Alfred D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: French
authors.affiliation: Southern University Agricultural Center, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA.
authors.forename: Yadong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. Electronic address: QWu@agcenter.lsu.edu.
authors.forename: Qinglin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; C062364:polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: Absorption; Core-shell structure; Hydrogel; Interpenetrating polymer network; Nanoparticles