Abstract
A deep eutectic solvent (DES) derived from ferric chloride hexahydrate and betaine chloride (molar ratio of 1:1) was used as hydrolytic media for production of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) with a high yield (up to 88.5%). The synergistic effect of Lewis acid and released Brønsted acid from betaine hydrochloride enabled the efficient hydrolysis of chitin for production of ChNCs coupled with ultrasonication with low energy consumption. The obtained ChNCs were with an average diameter of 10 nm and length of 268 nm, and a crystallinity of 89.2% with optimal synthesis conditions (at 100 °C for 1 h with chitin-to-DES mass ratio of 1:20). The ChNCs were further investigated as efficient emulsion stabilizers, and they resulted in stable o/w emulsions even at a high oil content of 50% with a low ChNC dosage of 1 mg/g. Therefore, a potential approach based on a DES on the production of chitin-based nanoparticles as emulsifiers is introduced.
Highlights
Chitin, which consists of poly-β-(1-4)n-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature after cellulose
A deep eutectic solvent (DES) derived from ferric chloride hexahydrate and betaine chloride was used as hydrolytic media for production of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) with a high yield
When the size of chitin is reduced to nanoscale, it readily disperses in water under acidic or even neutral conditions [25]
Summary
Chitin, which consists of poly-β-(1-4)n-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature after cellulose. Chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) have a rod-like micromorphology, large surface area, low density, and outstanding mechanical toughness. Because of these advantageous features, ChNCs have been used as a reinforcement of polymer composites [26], scaffolds [27], emulsifiers [28], antimicrobial agents [29], and so on. As a kind of designable solvent, and based on these studies, it is highly possible to find out a new kind of DES as efficient hydrolytic medium of chitin for production of ChNCs. Previously, ChNCs displayed capability of forming stable emulsions, even at an extremely low concentration without any modification [28,38,39,40]. The performance of ChNCs as efficient emulsion stabilizers in an aqueous system of soybean oil was addressed
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