Title: Synthesis and characterisation of micro-fibrillated cellulose from jute

Authors: Alisha Prasad

Addresses: Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India

Abstract: The demand for renewable materials in tissue engineering domains has increased in recent years among which cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer, has gained immense interest due to its unique features such as, renewability, mechanical properties, and its structural dimensions. Cellulosic fibres in both micro-and nano-scale can be used as reinforcement biomaterials owing to its characteristic size, structure, and high aspect ratio imparting excellent mechanical properties for different biomedical applications. In this study, we hypothesise the synthesis of micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) from the Chorchorus capsularis variant of jute. MFC was synthesised by a series of alkali treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The obtained MFC was characterised by optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry - Thermogravimetric Analysis (DSC-TGA), phytochemical tests, dispersion studies and in vitro cytotoxicity. The synthesised MFC exhibits outstanding properties for various biomedical applications.

Keywords: jute; alkali treatment; micro-fibrillated cellulose; reinforcement biomaterials; tissue engineering; biopolymers; biomedical applications; bleaching; acid hydrolysis; renewable materials; cellulosic fibres.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBET.2016.079140

International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, 2016 Vol.22 No.2, pp.99 - 111

Received: 09 Sep 2015
Accepted: 27 Nov 2015
Published online: 14 Sep 2016 *

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