skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Paper miniaturization via periodate oxidation of cellulose
Cellulose-based paper is a versatile material with a diverse array of applications. While paper is not commonly thought of as a material that shrinks, here we present a method for miniaturizing paper via periodate oxidation. Chromatography paper was exposed to varying concentrations of periodate (0.1–0.5 M) over a 96-h period. Following optimization of miniaturization parameters, fourteen different types of paper were miniaturized and reductions in surface area ranging from 60 to 80% were observed. All cellulose paper types, but not cellulose-derivatives, displayed successful miniaturization. Results were highly tunable dependent upon periodate concentration and reaction time. Potential applications of the technique are discussed, including its use as a microfabrication method.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1709740
PAR ID:
10058547
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Cellulose
Volume:
25
Issue:
6
ISSN:
0969-0239
Page Range / eLocation ID:
3211-3217
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; (, Scientific Reports)
    Abstract Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (microPADs) are emerging as cost-effective and portable platforms for point-of-care assays. A fundamental limitation of microPAD fabrication is the imprecise nature of most methods for patterning paper. The present work demonstrates that paper patterned via wax printing can be miniaturized by treating it with periodate to produce higher-resolution, high-fidelity microPADs. The optimal miniaturization parameters were determined by immersing microPADs in various concentrations of aqueous sodium periodate (NaIO4) for varying lengths of time. This treatment miniaturized microPADs by up to 80% in surface area, depending on the concentration of periodate and length of the reaction time. By immersing microPADs in 0.5-M NaIO4for 48 hours, devices were miniaturized by 78% in surface area, and this treatment allowed for the fabrication of functional channels with widths as small as 301 µm and hydrophobic barriers with widths as small as 387 µm. The miniaturized devices were shown to be compatible with redox-based colorimetric assays and enzymatic reactions. This miniaturization technique provides a new option for fabricating sub-millimeter-sized features in paper-based fluidic devices without requiring specialized equipment and could enable new capabilities and applications for microPADs. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; (, Water)
    Nitrate contamination of ground water is a serious problem due to the intensive agricultural activities needed to feed the world’s growing population. While effective, drinking water treatment using commercial ion exchange polymers is often too expensive to be employed. At the same time, lignocellulosic waste from crop production—an abundant source of the renewable polymer cellulose—is often burned to clear fields. This results in not only adverse health outcomes, but also wastes a valuable resource. In this study, wheat straw was pretreated to extract cellulose, then selectively oxidized with periodate, crosslinked with an alkyl diamine (1,7-diaminoheptane or 1,10-diaminodecane), and functionalized with a quaternary ammonium compound ((2-aminoethyl)trimethyl ammonium chloride) to generate a cellulose-based anion exchange polymer. This polymer lowered aqueous nitrate concentrations to health-based drinking water standards. Unlike commercial ion exchange polymers, its synthesis did not require the use of toxic epichlorohydrin or flammable solvents. The pretreatment conditions did not significantly affect nitrate uptake, but the crosslinker chain length did, with polymers crosslinked with 1,10-diaminodecane showing no nitrate uptake. Agricultural-waste-based anion exchange polymers could accelerate progress toward the sustainable development goals by providing low-cost materials for nitrate removal from water. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Advanced Materials)
    Abstract Advanced templating techniques have enabled delicate control of both nano‐ and microscale structures and have helped thrust functional materials into the forefront of society. Cellulose nanomaterials are derived from natural polymers and show promise as a templating source for advanced materials. Use of cellulose nanomaterials in templating combines nanoscale property control with sustainability, an attribute often lacking in other templating techniques. Use of cellulose nanofibers for templating has shown great promise in recent years, but previous reviews on cellulose nanomaterial templating techniques have not provided extensive analysis of cellulose nanofiber templating. Cellulose nanofibers display several unique properties, including mechanical strength, porosity, high water retention, high surface functionality, and an entangled fibrous network, all of which can dictate distinctive aspects in the final templated materials. Many applications exploit the unique aspects of templating with cellulose nanofibers that help control the final properties of the material, including, but not limited to, applications in catalysis, batteries, supercapacitors, electrodes, building materials, biomaterials, and membranes. A detailed analysis on the use of cellulose nanofibers templating is provided, addressing specifically how careful selection of templating mechanisms and methodologies, combined toward goal applications, can be used to directly benefit chosen applications in advanced functional materials. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; (, Advanced Materials Interfaces)
    Abstract Paper, an inexpensive material with natural biocompatibility, non‐toxicity, and biodegradability, allows for affordable and cost‐effective substrates for unconventional advanced electronics, often called papertronics. On the other hand, polymeric elastomers have shown to be an excellent success for substrates of soft bioelectronics, providing stretchability in skin wearable technology for continuous sensing applications. Although both materials hold their unique advantageous characteristics, merging both material properties into a single electronic substrate reimagines paper‐based bioelectronics for wearable and patchable applications in biosensing, energy generation and storage, soft actuators, and more. Here, a breathable, light‐weighted, biocompatible engineered stretchable paper is reported via coaxial nonwoven microfibers for unconventional bioelectronic substrates. The stretchable papers allow intimate bioconformability without adhesive through coaxial electrospinning of a cellulose acetate polymer (sheath) and a silicone elastomer (core). The fabricated cellulose‐silicone fibers exhibit a greater percent strain than commercially available paper while retaining hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, combustibility, disposable, and other natural characteristics of paper. Moreover, the nonwoven stretchable cellulose‐silicone fibrous mat can adapt conventional printing and fabrication process for paper‐based electronics, an essential aspect of advanced bioelectronic manufacturing. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; (, Cellulose)
    Abstract Supercritical Impregnation methods are becoming popular in the development of food packaging materials. Bulk functional improvements of cellulose substrates using this method may be influenced by interfacial interactions between the impregnated solutes and cellulose. Hence, an interfacial adsorption kinetics study of solute molecules onto the substrate can provide insight on bulk property development, leading to an optimized packaging material with improved functionality. Paper substrates were impregnated with two food-grade waxes: Alkyl Ketene Dimer (AKD) and Carnauba Wax (CW). Hydrophobic development was monitored over a 3-week period. A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D) was used to determine interfacial characteristics and behavior of each wax with cellulose, and adsorption kinetics were quantified to compare the mass transfer processes of each wax at the interface. AKD significantly contributed to the substrate’s hydrophobic development over time. CW generated mildly hydrophobic substrates only when heated. AKD strongly adhered to the cellulose fibers at the interface, and demonstrated a 3-stage kinetic adsorption process, tentatively assigned (i) diffusion through the solvent; (ii) diffusion through the substrate; and (iii) attachment onto the fibers. CW readily washed off the cellulose surface, demonstrating only the first adsorption process. The different chemical structures also impacted these behaviors, as did concentration and temperature. Graphical Abstract 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email