Untangling the threads of cellulose mercerization

Naturally occurring plant cellulose, our most abundant renewable resource, consists of fibers of long polymer chains that are tightly packed in parallel arrays in either of two crystal phases collectively referred to as cellulose I. During mercerization, a process that involves treatment with sodium hydroxide, cellulose goes through a conversion to another crystal form called cellulose II, within which every other chain has remarkably changed direction. We designed a neutron diffraction experiment with deuterium labelling in order to understand how this change of cellulose chain direction is possible. Here we show that during mercerization of bacterial cellulose, chains fold back on themselves in a zigzag pattern to form crystalline anti-parallel domains. This result provides a molecular level understanding of one of the most widely used industrial processes for improving cellulosic materials.

Nishiyama, YoshiharuCentre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE) (författare)
Shah, RiddhiOak Ridge National Laboratory (författare)
Forsyth, V. TrevorLund University,Lunds universitet,LINXS - Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science,Kemiska institutionen,Institutioner vid LTH,Lunds Tekniska Högskola,Molekylär Biofysik,Forskargrupper vid Lunds universitet,Department of Chemistry,Departments at LTH,Faculty of Engineering, LTH,Molecular Biophysics,Lund University Research Groups,Institut Laue Langevin(Swepub:lu)tr2830fo (författare)
Mossou, EstelleInstitut Laue Langevin (författare)
O’Neill, Hugh MichaelOak Ridge National Laboratory (författare)
Wada, MasahisaKyoto University (författare)
Langan, PaulOak Ridge National Laboratory,Institut Laue Langevin (författare)
Oak Ridge National LaboratoryCentre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE) (creator_code:org_t)

Ingår i:Nature Communications: Springer Science and Business Media LLC13:12041-1723

Av författaren/redakt...: Sawada, Daisuke; Nishiyama, Yoshi ...; Shah, Riddhi; Forsyth, V. Trev ...; Mossou, Estelle; O’Neill, Hugh Mi ...; visa fler...; Wada, Masahisa; Langan, Paul; visa färre...

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