Cellulosic fibers comprising internally dispersed cuprous oxide nanoparticles
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
InventorsMatthew B Hillyer, Sunghyun Nam, Brian D Condon
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Abstract
The invention relates to treated cellulosic fibers comprising internally dispersed cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles, methods of preparing such treated cellulosic fibers, and uses of such treated cellulosic fibers.
Claims19
A treated cellulosic fiber comprising internally dispersed cuprous oxide nanoparticles, wherein the cellulosic fiber has a microfibrillar crystalline structure with unidirectionally aligned microfibrils, and the cuprous oxide nanoparticles are directly incorporated to the cellulosic fiber microfibrillar crystalline structure and are irregular in shape and size;
- and wherein the only difference between the cellulose microfibrillar crystalline structure of the treated fiber and the fiber prior to cuprous oxide incorporation is the presence of the cuprous oxide nanoparticles incorporated to the microfibrillar crystalline structure.
A method for preparing a treated cellulosic fiber comprising internally dispersed cuprous oxide nanoparticles, the method comprising:
- immersing a cellulosic fiber having a microfibrillar crystalline structure with unidirectionally aligned microfibrils in a solution comprising a copper (II) precursor and a base to prepare a [Cu(OH)4]2− copper complex that diffuses through the interior of the cellulosic fiber microfibrillar crystalline structure;
- transferring the cellulosic fiber with the diffused [Cu(OH)4]2− copper complex to water to produce a cellulosic fiber comprising Cu(OH)2 incorporated to the cellulosic fiber microfibrillar crystalline structure;
- and
- allowing the cellulosic fiber comprising Cu(OH)2 to dry,
- to prepare a treated cellulosic fiber comprising internally dispersed cuprous oxide nanoparticles of irregular shape and size incorporated to the fiber microfibrillar structure;
- wherein the only difference between the cellulose fiber microfibrillar crystalline structure of the treated fiber and the fiber prior to immersion in the solution comprising the copper (II) precursor is the presence of internally dispersed cuprous oxide nanoparticles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.