Resilient bacterial nanocellulose foam

Abstract

A resilient bacterial nanocellulose foam having at least 80 percent biobased carbon content having 0.7% to 1.5% w/w biopolymer of TEMPO-oxidized bacterial nanocellulose or mixtures of TEMPO-oxidized bacterial nanocellulose and an anionic biopolymer The material includes 0.1% to 2% w/w surfactant and 0.3% to 1.5% w/w crosslinker. The crosslinker may be a divalent metal ion donor such as a metal salt (e.g., calcium salt or a zinc salt, for example, calcium carbonate or zinc carbonate or mixtures). A void-forming agent of 0.3% to 0.9% w/w and 4% to 10% w/w of a resilience-enhancing modifier are added to provide mechanical properties similar to those of commercial polyurethane foams. The resilient bacterial nanocellulose foam has a density of 30 to 182 kg/m3, a tensile strength of 98 to 1195 kPa, and a resilience of 18 to 39%. The TEMPO-oxidized bacterial nanocellulose has a degree of polymerization (DP) of at least 700.

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