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Indirect evidence of supramolecular changes within cellulose microfibrils of chemical pulp fibers upon drying

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Abstract

Dried and never-dried chemical pulps were subjected to strong sulfuric acid hydrolysis and the dimensions of the resulting cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were characterized by AFM image analysis. Although the average length of CNCs was fairly similar in all samples (55–65 nm), the length distribution histograms revealed that a higher number of longer crystals and a lower number of shorter crystals were present in the CNC suspensions prepared from never-dried pulps. The distinction was hypothetically ascribed to tensions building in individual cellulose microfibrils upon drying, resulting in irreversible supramolecular changes in the amorphous regions. The amorphous regions shaped by tensions were deemed as more susceptible to acid hydrolysis.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mr. Timo Pääkkönen for laboratory assistance. Dr. Juha Linnekoski at the Department of Chemistry (TKK) is acknowledged for performing the sulfur analysis. The Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES) as well as Andritz, UPM-Kymmene, Kemira, Metso, and M-real corporations are acknowledged for the financial support.

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  1. Department of Forest Products Technology, Helsinki University of Technology, P.O. Box 6300, 02015 TKK, Helsinki, Finland

    Eero Kontturi & Tapani Vuorinen

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  1. Eero Kontturi
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  2. Tapani Vuorinen
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Correspondence to Eero Kontturi.

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Kontturi, E., Vuorinen, T. Indirect evidence of supramolecular changes within cellulose microfibrils of chemical pulp fibers upon drying. Cellulose 16, 65–74 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-008-9235-3

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