Water isn’t just a universal solvent that remains unaffected by its interactions.
Water isn’t just a universal solvent that remains unaffected by its interactions. New publications from North Carolina State University show that water can change its solubility characteristics depending upon what it interacts with. Specifically, when water interacts with cellulose, it can stack in layered shells to control chemical reactions within, and physical properties of, the material. The work has implications for more sustainable and efficient design of cellulose-based products.
“Cellulose is the world’s most abundant biopolymer, and it’s used in applications that range from bandages to electronics,” says Lucian Lucia, professor of forest biomaterials and chemistry at NC State and corresponding author of a new study in Matter. “But cellulose processing has been mostly done by trial and error, and some of it utilizes incredibly harsh chemicals. To find better ways to process cellulose, we need to understand its most fundamental interactions – for example, with water.”
To do so, he worked with colleague Jim Martin, professor of chemistry at NC State, who studies the fundamental properties of water as a solvent.
Read more at: North Carolina State University
Photo Credit: Daniele Levis Pelusi via Unsplash
