Nanocelluloses obtained by ammonium persulfate (APS) oxidation of bleached kraft pulp (BKP) and bacterial cellulose (BC) and their application in biocomposite films together with chitosan

Abstract

Abstract Bleached birch kraft pulp (BKP, Södra Cell AB, Sweden) and unmodified bacterial cellulose (BC) pellicles, biosynthesized by the bacterium Komagataeibacter rhaeticus, were converted to cellulose nanofibers via ammonium persulfate (APS) oxidation. Fiber dimensions were investigated in an atomic force microscope, and the crystallite size was calculated by Rietveld analysis. Saos-2 osteosarcoma cell line served to assess the in vitro cytocompatibility of the biocomposite films. Results showed that individual cellulose nanofibers with an average width of 80±15 nm and a length between 600 and 1200 nm are formed by APS oxidation. The obtained BC nanofibers can be promising constituents in nanocellulose films and in chitosan-matrix films with improved physical-mechanical and biological properties. Good cellular biocompatibility was found for chitosan/oxidized cellulose films; the viability of Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells was higher on chitosan/oxidized BC films compared to chitosan/oxidized BKP films.