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Enhancement of thermal stability associated with the chemical treatment of bacterial ( Gluconacetobacter xylinus ) cellulose
Author(s) -
George Johnsy,
Sajeevkumar V. A.,
Kumar R.,
Ramana K. V.,
Sabapathy S. N.,
Bawa A. S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.27802
Subject(s) - cellulose , thermogravimetric analysis , sodium hydroxide , bacterial cellulose , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , thermal stability , chemistry , scanning electron microscope , alkali metal , nuclear chemistry , chemical engineering , sodium , materials science , organic chemistry , composite material , engineering
Bacterial cellulose produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus was treated with sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to remove entrapped noncellulosic materials. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been used to investigate the effect of alkali on the chemical structure of bacterial cellulose. The changes in the crystalline nature of these membranes were analyzed using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The morphology and the removal of noncellulosic impurities followed by alkali treatment were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS). The enhanced thermal stability of bacterial cellulose was evident from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Further, the alkali treatments resulted in relatively pure form of cellulose, which finds application in various spheres. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008