(133g) Cellulose Nanofibril-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions and Microcapsules

Assembly of cellulose into cellulose crystals and fibrils to form cell walls and load-bearing elements in biomass is ubiquitous in nature. Exploiting the inherent amphiphilicity of cellulose particles and their ability to form aqueous colloidal dispersions, cellulosic colloids at the oil and water interface can serve as a model system to investigate the assembly of cellulosic particles into advanced nanostructured materials. In this presentation, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) based Pickering emulsions will be discussed, showcasing our experimental results as well as those in the literature. Our focus will be on elucidating the effects of surface charge, particle length, and the presence of ionic crosslinking. Furthermore, the potential applications of the assembled cellulosic structures, as emulsions and microcapsules, will be discussed as oil absorbents and thermal energy storage materials.