title: Simple citric acid-catalyzed surface esterification of cellulose nanocrystals.
abstract: A simple straightforward route for the surface esterification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) is herein proposed. CNC obtained from microcrystalline cellulose were acetylated using as catalyst citric acid, a α-hydroxy acid present in citrus fruits and industrially produced by certain molds in sucrose or glucose-containing medium. No additional solvent was added to the system; instead, the acylant (acetic anhydride) was used in sufficient excess to allow CNC dispersion and proper suspension agitation. By tuning the catalyst load, CNC with two different degree of substitution (i.e. DS=0.18 and 0.34) were obtained. Acetylated cellulose nanocrystals were characterized in terms of chemical structure, crystallinity, morphology, thermal decomposition and dispersion in a non-polar solvent. Results illustrated for the first time the suitability of the protocol proposed for the simple surface acetylation of cellulose nanocrystals.
authors.affiliation: Grupo De Biotecnología y Biosíntesis, Instituto De Tecnología En Polímeros y Nanotecnología (ITPN), Facultad De Ingeniería, Universidad De Buenos Aires, Las Heras 2214 (CP 1127AAR) Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
authors.forename: Jhon Alejandro
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ávila Ramírez
authors.affiliation: University of Perugia, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, UdR INSTM, Strada Di Pentima 4, 05100 Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fortunati
authors.affiliation: University of Perugia, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, UdR INSTM, Strada Di Pentima 4, 05100 Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kenny
authors.affiliation: University of Perugia, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, UdR INSTM, Strada Di Pentima 4, 05100 Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Torre
authors.affiliation: Grupo De Biotecnología y Biosíntesis, Instituto De Tecnología En Polímeros y Nanotecnología (ITPN), Facultad De Ingeniería, Universidad De Buenos Aires, Las Heras 2214 (CP 1127AAR) Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina. Electronic address: mforesti@fi.uba.ar.
authors.forename: María Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Foresti
keywords: Cellulose nanocrystals; Chemical modification; Citric acid; Surface acetylation