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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Plant Polymer Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #332303
Research Project: Renewable Biobased Particles

Location: Plant Polymer Research

Title: Viscoelastic properties of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) produced from corn stover

Author
item Xu, Jingyuan - James
item LIU, WEN-CHING - University Of Illinois
item Boddu, Veera

Submitted to: Cellulose Chemistry and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2018
Publication Date: 7/12/2018
Citation: Xu, J., Liu, W-C., Boddu, V.M. 2018. Viscoelastic properties of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) produced from corn stover. Cellulose Chemistry and Technology. 52(5-6):337-342.

Interpretive Summary: Cellulose, one of the most abundant biopolymers existing in nature, can play a major role in the advanced materials due to its reinforcement properties. The agriculture-based residues provide an abundant, inexpensive, and widely distributed source of biomass for cellulose. Many agricultural residues such as corn stover and wheat straw have little economic value other than for mulching back into the soil or for burning as fuel. The nano-sized cellulose research area has attracted the attention of many researchers. The properties and functions of the micro- and nano-sized cellulose depend closely on cellulose source and preparation process. Recently, the scientists at NCAUR prepared microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) from the agriculture waste corn stover. We found that the MFC can be suspendeded in water and formed into gel-like material. To identify potential applications of the MFC from corn stover, we explored the concentration-dependent viscoelastic properties of this MFC suspension gel. We found that the properties of the corn stover MFC gels were similar to those of some cosmetic and wound healing gels, which suggested that this nano-cellulose material can be a good candidate for developing cosmetic and skin wound healing products.

Technical Abstract: The rheological properties of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) produced from agricultural residue corn stover were investigated. The corn stover MFC gels exhibited concentration-dependent viscoelastic solid properties. Higher corn stover MFC concentrations resulted in stronger viscoelastic properties. The analysis for moduli of different concentrations and stress relaxation measurements indicated that the corn stover MFC gels were physical gels, meaning the cross-linkers between the molecules exhibited physical interactions. The non-linear steady shearing rheological property studies implied that the corn stover MFC gels exhibited shear thinning behavior, which can be well fitted with the Power-Law Constitutive Equation. The function and behavior of the corn stover MFC gels suggest that this kind of starch-based biomaterial could be a potential candidate for applications in cosmetic gels and wound skin care materials.