Engineering deuterated bacterial cellulose via biosynthesis for neutron applications

Abstract

Deuterated bacterial nanocellulose (dBNC) combines the biocompatibility and versatility of cellulose with the distinctive properties of deuterium, thereby facilitating the development of functional materials and their potential future applications in neutron science. We applied a scalable film-to-film biosynthesis protocol that reduces costs and time while achieving controlled deuterium incorporation into the biosynthesis of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) using Komagataeibacter xylinus, adapted to D₂O and deuterated glycerol. Spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, Raman, NIR, SR-µFTIR) confirmed the presence and homogeneous distribution of O–D and C–D bonds in the membrane. At the same time, physical properties, such as crystallinity and surface charge, remained comparable to those of native BNC. Neutron irradiation experiments demonstrated that dBNC films interact with fast neutrons, producing recoil deuterons, which supports their potential as biofriendly materials of interest for neutron science. This study paves the way for future use of dBNC as a promising material in neutron-based technologies and confirms the applicability of the optimized approach for its production and characterization.