Autoclave assisted synthesis of slow-release fertilizer from polymerized chemical grafted nanocellulose fiber

Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) are characterized by a high aspect ratio and excellent physical and chemical properties, which endow them with significant potential for enhancing functionality when combined with other materials. However, their inherent flammability severely restricts their application in environments exposed to high temperatures or fire risks. To address this issue, the hydrolysis products of (3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane (APS) and boric acid react with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of CNF. This reaction forms polyborosiloxane (APS-B) in situ on the surface of CNF, creating a stable polyborosiloxane network. A multifunctional composite film was developed, the introduction of conductive MXene filler yields a multifunctional CNF/APS-B/MX composite film with both electromagnetic shielding and thermal conductivity. Concurrently, the film's exceptional flame retardancy is provided by the APS-B component, which transforms into a dense, glass-like coating upon burning. This layer significantly enhances the thermal stability of the CNF and acts as an effective physical barrier against combustion. The PHRR of the composite film is reduced to 3.4 W/g, and the THR is 0.1 kJ/g. On this basis, MXene was uniformly dispersed in the CNF dispersion, and the composite film with mussel-inspired structure was prepared by vacuum-assisted suction filtration. A perfect conductive and thermal conductive network was constructed in the plane. The EMI SE of the CNF/APS-B/MX composite film reached 34 dB, and the in-plane thermal conductivity was significantly improved to 9.8 W·m-1·K-1.

Spray-dried TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN)-Fe3O4 (TF) composite particles were fabricated using TOCNs of distinct fiber lengths, where the long TOCNs were approximately 3 times longer (around 1 μm) than the short TOCNs (approximately 350 nm). The objective was to elucidate how nanofiber aspect ratio governs particle morphology, magnetic performance, and bioaffinity. SEM and TEM analyses revealed that both TOCN types formed spherical particles (approximately 2-3 μm) with fibrous surface textures, yet the Fe3O4 distribution varied significantly. Short TOCNs promoted dense fiber entanglement within droplets, effectively entrapping Fe3O4 nanoparticles inside the particle core, whereas long TOCNs facilitated Fe3O4 migration toward the particle surface. Despite similar ζ-potentials (-44 to -49 mV) and superparamagnetic hysteresis behavior, surface Fe3O4 accessibility strongly influenced biofunctional response without altering magnetization. These findings provide a scalable strategy for designing bioactive magnetic cellulose composites with customizable surface reactivity for biosensing, biocatalysis, and magnetic separation in biomedical field.

Antibacterial nut grass cellulose reinforced polylactic acid nanocomposites: A holistic assessment for biomedical scaffolds.

Cellulose nanofibers in ice: microstructural effects on mechanical response

Multi-functional zwitterionic glycerylphosphorylcholine hydrogel for human motion detection and human-machine interaction.

Mechanically robust and flame-resistant cellulose nanofiber aerogels for efficient smoke pollutant adsorption.

Chitosan and cellulose nanofiber-reinforced collagen membrane for effective Abdominal Wall defect repair.

High-value nanocellulose from laser-printed waste paper: From comparative synthesis to mechanistic insights on morphological and thermal properties.

Gold-modified hierarchical ZnOCellulose flower-like multifunctional membrane for enhanced wastewater treatment: Multifunctional oil/water separation, solar-powered catalytic dye degradation, and antibacterial applications.

Carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibers as rheological regulators for electrically anisotropic liquid metal bilayer films fabricated via sedimentation-sintering.

Cellulose nanofiber modified with octylboronic acid for use as a green thickener and nanoadditive in oleogel lubricant

Food-grade W/O/W emulsion-filled sodium alginate hydrogel for co-delivery of riboflavin and curcumin.

Preparation of non-decolorizing fluorescent filaments and textiles from Ca-coagulated cellulose nanofibers

Abstract Cellulose nanofiber is frequently used to produce oleophobic membrane, but current methods often use materials derived from pulp wood that require enormous chemicals and processes. To address the problem, SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) has been reported to be an effective alternative for producing cellulose nanofiber. However, utilizing cellulose nanofiber from SCOBY as oleophobic membrane is still limited. Therefore, this study aims to assess the bacterial cellulose nanofiber (BCNF) from SCOBY as oleophobic membrane. The BCNF was coated on the cellulose fabric and glutaraldehyde or epichlorohydrin as a crosslinker. The results showed that the BCNF coated fabric produced a hydrophilic surface under air (62° ~ 76°) and an oleophobic surface underwater (132° ~ 145°). In addition, the membrane produced was capable of separating oil–water mixture, with a separation efficiency of 99.5% and a flow rate of 302 L m −2 h −1 only by gravitational force.

N-carboxyethyl chitosan (CECS) and sodium alginate oxide (SAO) are two biomaterials extensively used in tissue engineering, particularly in wound dressing (WD) applications. Nonetheless, these materials exhibit certain limitations such as inadequate physicomechanical properties, limited antibacterial activity in non-acidic environments, and insolubilityunder physiological condition. This study introduces an injectable self-healing hydrogel composed of CECS and SAO, improved with hydrophilic nanomaterials, i.e., cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles, to address the inherent drawbacks of these hydrogels. The CECS/SAO/CNFs/CuO hydrogels were analyzed by varying the CNFs concentration (0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 wt.%) and CuO nanoparticles content (0, 0.008, 0.020, 0.032 wt.%). Physicomechanical properties (compressive modulus and strength, % degradation, swelling, and pore size), rheological characteristics, and biological performance (assessed by fibroblast cell growth, adhesion, and live-dead tests) of the hydrogels were evaluated. The findings indicated that the CECS/SAO hydrogel containing 0.10% CNFs and 0.032% CuO nanoparticles exhibited appropriate physical properties (2259% swelling after 1 h, 22.3% degradation after 6 days, and 151 µm pore size), compressive modulus (22.31 kPa), shear thinning behavior, and biological viability (more than 90% after 3 days), while ensuring adequate injectability and proper self-healing. The antibacterial property of the hydrogel against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was observed to be higher than 99.5%. These results highlight the significant potential of the CCH/SAO/CNFs/CuO hydrogel for wound dressing applications.

Food security is increasingly challenged by rapid population growth and limited arable land. Fertilizers are essential for boosting yields, yet conventional types often cause nutrient losses and environmental pollution. This study developed a bio-based controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) nanocomposite integrating cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) extracted from pineapple peel, biofertilizers, and biodegradable polymers to enhance nutrient efficiency and sustainability. CNFs were produced with a yield of 40.86% via microwave-assisted extraction and33.21% via high-speed blending, with the former showing superior structural and physicochemical properties. The optimized CNF was incorporated into six CRF formulations (Control, F1-F5) containing 0-35% CNF. Among them, formulation F1 demonstrated optimal biodegradability, water retention, and nutrient release performance. Agronomic evaluation under both land and vertical farming systems confirmed that F1 markedly improved plant height (6.7-182.4cm), leaf area (16-530cm2), SPAD index (26-54), root-to-shoot ratio (0.30-0.57), and yield (0-220g). Overall, the developed CNF-based CRF nanocomposite offers a sustainable and scalable approach to improving soil fertility and crop productivity. This innovation advances biofertilizer technology aligned with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) while promoting responsible production and environmental sustainability (SDGs 3, 11, and 12).

Text recognition is a cornerstone of human-computer interaction (HCI), yet conventional isotropic sensing interfaces are intrinsically constrained in resolving the complex directional features of handwriting, particularly the intricate stroke orientations of Chinese characters. Here, leveraging the intrinsic anisotropic architecture of natural wood, we developed a mechanically robust, highly stretchable, and sensitive hydrogel-based interface capable of accurately distinguishing diverse handwriting trajectories. The resulting wood-based soft hydrogel used for human-computer interaction (WSH-HCI) achieves 25 MPa tensile strength along the fiber axis─6.5× higher than in the transverse direction─while maintaining stable multidirectional signal discrimination and up to 96% accuracy in Chinese basic-stroke recognition. These performances arise from preserved aligned cellulose nanofiber channels and a strong PVA-cellulose hydrogen-bonding network. Demonstrations include real-time recognition of English letters and Chinese characters. This work provides a viable pathway toward high-performance anisotropic hydrogel sensors for advanced handwriting recognition and intelligent human-computer interactions.

The mode-II fracture toughness (G IIc) of composite laminates can be enhanced by tailoring the crack interface. For this purpose, renewable reinforcements, namely cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and continuous flax fiber fabric, serve as toughening agents in this study. CNFs were incorporated directly (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 wt%) at the CFRP crack interface and on the flax fiber fabric placed at the crack interface in the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) to create a hybrid carbon/flaxCNFs composite. Mechanical characterization was conducted using the standard end-notched flexural (ENF) test. Numerical analysis was performed using the triangular cohesive zone method. The test results demonstrated an 18% improvement in G IIc of CFRP with 0.1% CNFs and a 20% improvement for the hybrid carbon/flaxCNFs composite with 0.05% CNFs. Supported by numerical analysis, tangential stress and stiffness values for CNFs-loaded interfaces were defined that perfectly simulated the experimental load-displacement behavior. Fractography was conducted using an optical microscope and SEM to identify the toughening mechanisms involved. Our approach fills the gap in the literature regarding the direct deposition of nanofibers and the use of continuous natural fibers loaded with nanofibers as toughening agents, utilizing the conventional VARTM process without undergoing extra processing steps to prepare high-performance green composite structures reinforced with nanomaterials.

ABSTRACT Boron nitride (BN), characterised by its wide band gap and robust dielectric properties, has emerged as a promising filler for polymer‐based dielectric composites. Nevertheless, its practical implementation in polymer matrices has been hindered by poor dispersibility and inadequate interfacial adhesion. This study addresses these challenges by developing hyperbranched polymer (HBP)‐functionalised BN (HBP‐BN) and fabricating HBP‐BN/cellulose nanofiber (CNF) composite films via vacuum‐assisted self‐assembly. The HBP‐BN/CNF films demonstrate a low dielectric loss (tan δ < 0.016) and significantly improved volume resistivity (10 9 Ω·m) and high thermal stability (55.36% residual mass at 800°C). Notably, the surface flashover voltage is elevated from 13.82 to 15.61 kV, demonstrating superior insulation capability. All these results highlight the promising potential of HBP‐BN/CNF composite films for use as advanced dielectric materials, providing a novel approach to develop eco‐friendly high‐performance materials for high‐voltage insulation systems in next‐generation electronics and electrical devices.