STUDY OF THE POSSIBILITY TO PRODUCE CELLULOSE MICROFIBRILS BY APPLYING SHEARING TREATMENTS TO CELLULOSE FIBERS

Cellulose is a linear biopolymer composed of glucose residues linked by β 1-4 glucosidics bonds. These characteristics enable cellulose molecules to adopt an extended rod-like configuration. In the microfibrils, the multiple hydroxyl groups on the glucose residues hydrogen bond with each other, holding the chains firmly together and contributing to their high tensile strength. This study has shown the possibility to produce cellulose microfibrils by applying shearing treatment. Homogenisation and microfluidisation treatments permit to obtain microfibrils with 5 to 20 μm length and a 20 to 50 nm diameter. This study also shows that a tridimensional network, typical of a gel, appears in the treated samplesNACEL