Issue 20, 2022

Using rotation to organize cellulose nanocrystals inside a fiber

Abstract

We demonstrate for the first time that continuous rotation of a mixture of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and monomer in a capillary tube results in well-organized structures. In the experiments, a capillary tube charged with an aqueous suspension of CNCs and hydroxyethyl acrylate was continuously rotated, then the structure was fixed in place by UV-initiated polymerization. The organization of the liquid crystalline structure that forms inside the tube depends on the rotation conditions and is captured in the polymer resin. The effects of rotation speed, rotation angle and CNC concentration were evaluated and are discussed based on fluid dynamic models. We demonstrate that it is possible to develop a core–shell fiber through this technique based on secondary Dean flow. The outer shell of the fiber shows well-ordered concentric rings with chiral nematic structure, while the inner core remains isotropic. Such fibers have potential applications in the field of optics. Overall, we demonstrate that rotation could be applied as a novel method to organize liquid crystals in a confined environment.

Graphical abstract: Using rotation to organize cellulose nanocrystals inside a fiber

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Feb 2022
Accepted
02 May 2022
First published
11 May 2022

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 7613-7620

Using rotation to organize cellulose nanocrystals inside a fiber

A. Momeni, W. Y. Hamad and M. J. MacLachlan, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 7613 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR01159J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements