The influence of alkaline treatment on the mechanical and structural properties of bacterial cellulose

Abstract

The unique mechanical properties of hydrated bacterial cellulose make it suitable for biomedical applications. This study evaluates the effect of concentrated sodium hydroxide treatment on the structural and mechanical properties of bacterial cellulose hydrogels using rheological, tensile, and compression tests combined with mathematical modelling. Bacterial cellulose hydrogels show a concentration-dependent and irreversible reduction in shear moduli, compression, and tensile strength after alkaline treatment. Applying a poroelastic biphasic model to through-thickness compressive stress-relaxation tests showed the alkaline treatment to induce no significant change in axial compression, an effect was observed in the radial direction, potentially due to the escape of water from within the hydrogel. Scanning electron microscopy showed a more porous structure of bacterial cellulose. These results show how concentration-dependent alkaline treatment induces selective weakening of intramolecular interactions between cellulose fibres, allowing the opportunity to precisely tune the mechanical properties for specific biomedical application, e.g., faster-degradable materials.