title: Degradation and Crystallization of Cellulose in Hydrogen Chloride Vapor for High-Yield Isolation of Cellulose Nanocrystals.
abstract: Despite the structural, load-bearing role of cellulose in the plant kingdom, countless efforts have been devoted to degrading this recalcitrant polysaccharide, particularly in the context of biofuels and renewable nanomaterials. Herein, we show how the exposure of plant-based fibers to HCl vapor results in rapid degradation with simultaneous crystallization. Because of the unchanged sample texture and the lack of mass transfer out of the substrate in the gas/solid system, the changes in the crystallinity could be reliably monitored. Furthermore, we describe the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals in high yields and with minimal water consumption. The study serves as a starting point for the solid-state tuning of the supramolecular properties of morphologically heterogeneous biological materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Products Technology, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16300, 00076, Aalto, Finland. eero.kontturi@aalto.fi.|Polymer and Composites Engineering group Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK. eero.kontturi@aalto.fi.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kontturi
authors.affiliation: Biochemicals, UPM-Kymmene Corporation, Finland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meriluoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Paavo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Penttilä
authors.affiliation: Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, Sorbonne Universités, 75005, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Niki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baccile
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15100, 00076, Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Jani-Markus
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Malho
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Wien, Austria.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Potthast
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Wien, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rosenau
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15100, 00076, Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruokolainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Serimaa
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Products Technology, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16300, 00076, Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laine
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Products Technology, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16300, 00076, Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sixta
keywords: adsorption; biomass; hydrolysis; interfacial reactions; polysaccharides