Fundamentals of Cellulose dissolution and regeneration
Cellulose – nature’s most abundant biopolymer – forms complex hierarchical structures from nanoscale to macroscale. By understanding and controlling its polymorphic transitions, especially to the stable cellulose II allomorph, our research unlocks new possibilities in materials science.
Cellulose is a semi-crystalline polysaccharide and the most abundant biopolymer on Earth. It consists of linear chains of hundreds to thousands of D-glucose units linked by β(1→4) bonds. In nature, cellulose forms a hierarchical structure, where the biosynthesized individual chains associate into nanofibrils, which further aggregate into microfibrils and ultimately form fibers. Cellulose is polymorphic, and the most energetically stable allomorph is the manmade cellulose II. Our research focuses on understanding the transitions between different cellulose allomorphs and controlling the related nanoscopic, microscopic, and macroscopic properties to unlock cellulose’s full potential in materials science.
