Anisotropic foams derived from textile-based cellulose nanocrystals and xanthan gum

Maria-Ximena Ruiz-Caldas; Carina Schiele; Seyed Ehsan Hadi; Matilda Andersson; Pardis Mohammadpour; Lennart Bergström; Aji P Mathew; Varvara Apostolopoulou-Kalkavoura

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122212

Anisotropic foams derived from textile-based cellulose nanocrystals and xanthan gum

Carbohydr Polym. 2024 Aug 15:338:122212. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122212. Epub 2024 Apr 28.

Authors

Maria-Ximena Ruiz-Caldas¹, Carina Schiele², Seyed Ehsan Hadi³, Matilda Andersson⁴, Pardis Mohammadpour⁵, Lennart Bergström⁶, Aji P Mathew⁷, Varvara Apostolopoulou-Kalkavoura⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: mariaximena.ruizcaldas@mmk.su.se.
² Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: carina.schiele@mmk.su.se.
³ Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden. Electronic address: ehsan.hadi@mmk.su.se.
⁴ Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: matilda.andersson@mmk.su.se.
⁵ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada; Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada. Electronic address: mohamp3@mcmaster.ca.
⁶ Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm 114 18, Sweden. Electronic address: lennart.bergstrom@mmk.su.se.
⁷ Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: aji.mathew@mmk.su.se.
⁸ Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: varvara.apostolopoulou@mmk.su.se.

PMID: 38763714
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122212

Abstract

The upcycling of discarded garments can help to mitigate the environmental impact of the textile industry. Here, we fabricated hybrid anisotropic foams having cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which were isolated from discarded cotton textiles and had varied surface chemistries as structural components, in combination with xanthan gum (XG) as a physical crosslinker of the dispersion used for foam preparation. All CNCs had crystallinity indices above 85 %, zeta potential values below -40 mV at 1 mM NaCl, and true densities ranging from 1.61 to 1.67 g·cm^-3. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) measurements indicated weak interactions between CNC and XG, while rheology measurements showed that highly charged CNCs caused the XG chains to change from an extended to a helicoidal conformation, resulting in changes the in viscoelastic properties of the dispersions. The inclusion of XG significantly enhanced the compression mechanical properties of the freeze-casted foams without compromising their thermal properties, anisotropy, or degree of alignment. CNC-XG foams maintained structural integrity even after exposure to high humidity (91 %) and temperatures (100 °C) and displayed very low radial thermal conductivities. This research provides a viable avenue for upcycling cotton-based clothing waste into high-performance materials.

Keywords: Cotton; Cryogel; Lightweight material; Nanocellulose; Surface functionalization; Textile upcycling.