Novel carbonaceous nanocomposite pellicle based on bacterial cellulose

Abstract

A novel carbonaceous nanocomposite pellicle was prepared by one-step mild hydrothermal carbonization of bacterial cellulose pellicle soaked in glucose solution. The nano-fibrous structure of bacterial cellulose remains intact while carbonaceous spheres with nanometre sizes were generated from glucose during hydrothermal carbonization at 180 °C for 3 h. The carbonaceous spheres formed in situ and anchored on the nanofibers’ surface expanded the nanostructure of bacterial cellulose and the water-holding capacity decreased slightly from 98% to 93%. Approximately 80% w/w of the dried carbonaceous pellicle was found to be nanometre sized carbonaceous spheres. The size of carbonaceous spheres decreased significantly but had a 60% increase of surface carboxyl groups when the carbonaceous pellicle was prepared in the presence of acrylic acid. The carbonaceous spheres in the never-dried pellicle demonstrate a high adsorption capacity towards heavy metal ions. Approximately, 200 mg of Pb(II) and 1134 mg of Fe(III) can be adsorbed per gram of carbonaceous pellicle, respectively.