Cellulose Nanofibers As a Nucleating Template for Interfacial Crystallization of Poly (ethylene)-b-Poly (ethylene glycol)

This was an investigation of cellulose nanofibers as a unique template to provide nucleating surface for interfacial crystallization of a block copolymer. Cellulose microfibers were ultrasonically dispersed to generate cellulose nanofibers in the size range of ~ 20-30 nm in diameter, while the block copolymer was crystallized using a solution crystallization approach. The polymer was crystallized on the surface of the cellulose nanofibers as periodically arranged lamellar crystals. The crystal morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the crystallization behavior was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to study the chemical structure of cellulose-copolymer hybrid system. The crystallinity and the morphology of the polymer varied according to the composition and the concentration of the polymer, respectively. Biological activity of the hybrid system was studied using simulated body fluid (SBF), and the results obtained using osteoblasts cells suggests  a novel strategy and potential biomaterial for tissue engineering applications.