Biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose in the presence of different nanoparticles to create novel hybrid materials

The unique micro nano porous three-dimensional network of bacterial cellulose (BC) can facilitate the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into the BC matrix to create advanced BC-based functional nanomaterials for diverse applications. In this study, novel nanomaterials comprised of bacterial cellulose (BC) synthesized in the presence of different NPs (cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP), and nanoclay (NC)) were prepared using an in situ approach. NPs at 0.5 wt.% loading were added into the BC culture medium and their effect on the resulting nanocomposite structure was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All BC-based nanomaterials produced, exhibited good dispersion of the NPs within the BC matrix and the NPs were found embedded among the voids and microfibrils. The thermal stability and residual mass of BC xGnP and BC-NC nanomaterials was significantly increased compared with the neat BC. CNF incorporation into the BC matrix did not change the thermal stability and residual mass of the BC matrix. This study also provides novel insights into the properties of the hybrid materials, and shows the approach used to make these materials which results in increased performance for chosen applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.