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Comparison of cellulose nanocrystals obtained by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and ammonium persulfate, to be used as coating on flexible food-packaging materials

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Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), extracted from trees, plants, or similar cellulose-containing materials, can be used in combination with other materials to improve their performance or introduce new applications. The main purpose of this study was to compare and understand the potentialities, as coatings for Poly(ethylene terephthalate) films, of CNCs obtained starting from the same cotton linters by two different processes: sulfuric acid hydrolysis and a less common treatment with ammonium persulfate (APS), able to provide also a cellulose oxidation. The results showed that CNCs produced through the APS treatment showed higher charge densities, due to the carboxylic groups formed during the process, higher crystallinity, higher clarity of the solution and, as a consequence, higher transparency of the coating. These characteristics provide a higher oxygen barrier with respect to the CNCs produced by the H2SO4 treatment, together with the availability of active sites for potential surface modification or chemical grafting. Both CNC coatings showed oxygen permeability coefficients that were lower than synthetic resins commonly used in flexible packaging. Furthermore, they did not significantly affect the optical properties of the substrate, while revealing good friction coefficients. Due though to the moisture sensitivity of the coating and its non-sealable nature, similar to EVOH or PVOH oxygen barrier synthetic resins, CNCs developed using APS will need to be laminated with another plastic layer such as a polyolefin. They could then be used to enhance the final properties of packaging solutions as an alternative to conventional food-packaging materials for perishable food products, while reducing their environmental impact with a thin layer of a bio-based polymer.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge Professor Francesco Demartin and Dr. Stefano Checchia, Department of Chemistry, University of Milan and Dr. Giorgio Capretti of INNOVHUB-SSI, Milan, for technical support in analysis and scientific support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DeFENS, Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences - PackLab, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Erika Mascheroni, Riccardo Rampazzo & Luciano Piergiovanni

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Via Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Marco Aldo Ortenzi

  3. CRC Materiali Polimerici (LaMPo), Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Erika Mascheroni, Marco Aldo Ortenzi & Luciano Piergiovanni

  4. SAF, Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via delle scienze 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy

    Giulio Piva

  5. Materials Science Department, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cozzi 55, 20125, Milan, Italy

    Simone Bonetti

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  1. Erika Mascheroni
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  2. Riccardo Rampazzo
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  3. Marco Aldo Ortenzi
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  4. Giulio Piva
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  6. Luciano Piergiovanni
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Correspondence to Luciano Piergiovanni.

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Mascheroni, E., Rampazzo, R., Ortenzi, M.A. et al. Comparison of cellulose nanocrystals obtained by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and ammonium persulfate, to be used as coating on flexible food-packaging materials. Cellulose 23, 779–793 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-015-0853-2

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