Immobilization of quaternized polymers on bacterial cellulose by different grafting techniques?

New Journal of Chemistry Pub Date: 2019-09-09 DOI: 10.1039/C9NJ02199J

Abstract

Since the discovery of the extraordinary mechanical properties of pristine bacterial cellulose (BC) few decades ago, its potential applications as a textile material and leather-like material have been realized. Immobilization of suitable polymers on the surface of BC can provide two of the most desirable characteristics in the current scenario: improved mechanical strength and variable hydrophobicity. Here, we report the immobilization of suitable polymers on BC surfaces in convenient ways. Different polymers (phosphonium-based or pyridinium-based), different grafting techniques (graft to or direct graft) and different surfaces (bacterial cellulose (BC) or bacterial cellulose-cotton composites (BCC)) were particularly used for comparison. These polymer-functionalized surfaces were characterized by standard instrumentation techniques. Significant improvements in mechanical properties and hydrophobicity were observed for some of the materials after functionalization with the polymers.

Graphical abstract: Immobilization of quaternized polymers on bacterial cellulose by different grafting techniques
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