Novel, Cellulose-Based, Lightweight, Wet-Resilient Materials with Tunable Porosity, Density, and Strength

Highly porous materials with low density were developed from chemically modified cellulose fibers using solvent-exchange and air drying. Periodate oxidation was initially performed to introduce aldehydes into the cellulose chain, which were then further oxidized to carboxyl groups by chlorite oxidation. Low-density materials were finally achieved by a second periodate oxidation under which the fibers self-assembled into porous fibrous networks. Following a solvent exchange to acetone, these networks could be air-dried without shrinkage. The properties of the materials were tuned by mechanical mixing with a high intensity mixer for different times prior to the second periodate oxidation, which resulted in porosities between 94.4% and 96.3% (i.e., densities between 54 and 82 kg/m3). The compressive strength of the materials was between 400 and 1600 kPa in the dry state and between 20 and 50 kPa in the wet state. It was also observed that in the wet state the fiber networks could be compressed up to 80% while still being able to recover their shape. These networks are highly interesting for use in different types of absorption products, and since they also have a high wet integrity, they can be modified with physical methods for different high-value-added end-use applications.