Composition-Dependent Viscosity and Properties of MCC/CNC Regenerated Cellulose Hydrogels Prepared Using TBAF/DMSO.
- 1School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
- 2Department of Food Science and Technology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
- 3Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA.
Abstract
Although microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) possess the same cellulose backbone, it remains unclear whether they have similar effects on solution viscosity behavior in tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and the properties of the resulting regenerated hydrogels. This study investigated the composition-dependent viscosity behavior of MCC/CNC solutions in TBAF/DMSO and the properties of the regenerated cellulose hydrogels. At 2.5% cellulose, the MCC solution achieved a maximum viscosity of 8.8 Pa·s at 2.5% TBAF, whereas the CNC solution reached 15.0 Pa·s at 5.5% TBAF. In mixed solutions, increasing the CNC content decelerated the viscosity increase, extending the time required for solution preparation and molding. After water-induced regeneration, the gel strength and cutting strength decreased from 70.8 to 33.6 N·mm and from 55.8 to 6.7 N·mm, respectively, as the formulation shifted from MCC-only to CNC-only. Conversely, the CNC-containing hydrogels exhibited higher optical transmittance than MCC-only hydrogels. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements suggested composition-dependent local photophysical relaxation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed no formation of new covalent structures, while X-ray diffraction indicated that the regenerated hydrogels were predominantly amorphous. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed composition-dependent thermal degradation. These results demonstrate that controlling the MCC/CNC compositional ratio provides a means of balancing solution processability and regenerated hydrogel properties.
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BibTeX
@article{kim2026compositiondependent,
title = {{Composition-Dependent Viscosity and Properties of MCC/CNC Regenerated Cellulose Hydrogels Prepared Using TBAF/DMSO.}},
author = {Na Hyeon Kim and Maria Jose Silva Pincay and Yeongjun Kim and Hyosub Kim and Eunok Jang and Dong Hyun Kim and Sae-Byuk Lee and Mi-Kyung Park and Seockmo Ku and Eunsook Lee and Deokyeong Choe},
journal = {Gels (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/gels12100878},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929913},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Composition-Dependent Viscosity and Properties of MCC/CNC Regenerated Cellulose Hydrogels Prepared Using TBAF/DMSO.
AU - Na Hyeon Kim
AU - Maria Jose Silva Pincay
AU - Yeongjun Kim
AU - Hyosub Kim
AU - Eunok Jang
AU - Dong Hyun Kim
AU - Sae-Byuk Lee
AU - Mi-Kyung Park
AU - Seockmo Ku
AU - Eunsook Lee
AU - Deokyeong Choe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/gels12100878
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929913
AB - Although microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) possess the same cellulose backbone, it remains unclear whether they have similar effects on solution viscosity behavior in tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and the properties of the resulting regenerated hydrogels. This study investigated the composition-dependent viscosity behavior of MCC/CNC solutions in TBAF/DMSO and the properties of the regenerated cellulose hydrogels. At 2.5% cellulose, the MCC solution achieved a maximum viscosity of 8.8 Pa·s at 2.5% TBAF, whereas the CNC solution reached 15.0 Pa·s at 5.5% TBAF. In mixed solutions, increasing the CNC content decelerated the viscosity increase, extending the time required for solution preparation and molding. After water-induced regeneration, the gel strength and cutting strength decreased from 70.8 to 33.6 N·mm and from 55.8 to 6.7 N·mm, respectively, as the formulation shifted from MCC-only to CNC-only. Conversely, the CNC-containing hydrogels exhibited higher optical transmittance than MCC-only hydrogels. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements suggested composition-dependent local photophysical relaxation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed no formation of new covalent structures, while X-ray diffraction indicated that the regenerated hydrogels were predominantly amorphous. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed composition-dependent thermal degradation. These results demonstrate that controlling the MCC/CNC compositional ratio provides a means of balancing solution processability and regenerated hydrogel properties.
SN - 2310-2861
ER -