Nanostructured biopolymers, bionanofabrication and the path towards a sustainable nanotechnology
This doctoral thesis addresses the need for greener practices in nanotechnology by focusing on nanostructured biopolymers (NBs), a class of biopolymers characterized by at least one dimension in the nanoscale. This nanoscale size imparts enhanced and often novel properties to these nanomaterials com...
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/401607 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/401607 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Biopolymers Carbon nanomaterials Bionanofabrication Nanocellulose http://metadata.un.org/sdg/7 http://metadata.un.org/sdg/9 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns biopolymers carbon nanocellulose |
| Sumario: | This doctoral thesis addresses the need for greener practices in nanotechnology by focusing on nanostructured biopolymers (NBs), a class of biopolymers characterized by at least one dimension in the nanoscale. This nanoscale size imparts enhanced and often novel properties to these nanomaterials compared to their bulk counterparts, such as high surface area, tunable surface chemistry, biodegradability, and mechanical robustness, making them attractive for sustainable applications. The main objective was to develop and investigate sustainable and reproducible approaches to synthesize NBs through both top-down and bottom-up routes, to characterize thoroughly, and to exploit their function as emulsifiers and aqueous dispersants for unidimensional carbon nanomaterials (1D CNMs), such as single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, MWCNTs), and carbon nanofibers (CNFs), enabling practical devices. The novelty of this work lies in: i) the development of reproducible top-down protocols for cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs), and silk fibroin nanofibers (SFNFs), including the optimization of CNC allomorph control via onepot H2SO4 hydrolysis; ii) development of a rapid, non-destructive method based on dynamic light scattering (DLS) for CNC allomorph identification; iii) Application of NBs to stabilize oil-in-water Pickering emulsions and to disperse 1D CNMs in aqueous media without the use of surfactants or organic solvents, enabling the fabrication of conductive films, thermoelectric textiles, and electrochemical sensors; iv) bionanofabrication strategies through the bottomup synthesis of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), exploring alternative media, in situ nanomaterial additives, and emulsion templating to tailor porosity and introduce new functionalities. |
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