Characteristics of Sulfated and Carboxylated Cellulose
Nanocrystals Extracted from Juncus Plant Stems
Zineb Kassaba,b, Edi Syafric, Youssef Tamraouia, Hassan Hannachea,b, Abou
El Kacem Qaissd, Mounir El Achabya,*
a Materials Science and Nanoengineering Department (MSN), Mohammed VI Polytechnic
University (UM6P), Lot 660 – Hay Moulay Rachid, 43150, Benguerir, Morocco
b Laboratoire d’Ingénierie et Matériaux (LIMAT), Faculté des Sciences Ben M’sik, Université
Hassan II de Casablanca, B.P.7955, Casablanca, Morocco
c Department of Agricultural Technology, Agricultural Polytechnic, Payakumbuh, West Sumatra
26271, Indonesia
d Composites and Nanocomposites Center (CNC), Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science,
Innovation and Research (MAScIR), Rabat Design, Rue Mohamed El Jazouli, Madinat
El Irfane 10100, Rabat, Morocco
*Corresponding author:
Email address: mounir.elachaby@um6p.ma
Phone number: (+2126) 62010620
Abstract
In this study, sulfated and carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) have been produced
from newly identified cellulose-rich bio-sourced material, namely Juncus plant. The Juncus plant
stems were firstly subjected to chemical treatments to produce purified cellulose microfibers
(CMF) with an average diameter of 3.5 μm and yield of 36 %. By subjecting CMF to sulfuric
and citric/hydrochloric mixture acids hydrolysis, sulfated CNC (S-CNC) and carboxylated CNC
(C-CNC) have been produced with a diameter of 7.3 ± 2.2 and 6.1 ± 2.8 nm, and a length of 431
± 94 and 352 ± 79 nm, respectively. These newly extracted S-CNC and C-CNC exhibited a
crystallinity of 81 and 83 % with cellulose I structure and showed high thermal stability (> 200
°C). Herein, this newly identified Juncus plant, which is a naturally-derived source, could be
used as a valuable alternative to conventional sources such as wood and cotton for nanocellulose
production. We speculate that the determined high thermal stability, the large aspect ratio and
high crystallinity will allow the use of the extracted CNC as nano-reinforcing agents in polymers
that require processing temperatures of up to 200 °C. Owing to their surface functionalities
(sulfated or carboxylated surface groups), the here produced CNC could be used as nanoadditives
or nano-reinforcing agents for water-soluble bio-polymers in order to produce bionanocomposites
by solvent casting techniques.
Keywords: Juncus plant stems; acid hydrolysis; cellulose nanocrystals