Extraction and characterization of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) from ramie fiber by sulphuric acid hydrolysis

Nanocrystalline Cellulose (NCC) is a nano-sized material produced by the removal of amorphous regions on cellulose fibers through acid hydrolysis. In recent years, NCC has gained increasing attention because it has superior properties such as high strength, high modulus, high surface area and biocompatible. In the present study, sulphuric acid hydrolysis with different concentrations was carried out to produce NCC. The effect of sulphuric acid concentration on the characteristics of NCC was investigated in this work. The cellulose was isolated from the ramie fibers (Boehmeria Nivea) through some chemical treatments including de-waxing in soxhlet apparatus, bleaching, and alkali treatments. NCC was extracted from isolated cellulose with sulphuric acid hydrolysis. The sulphuric acid concentrations was varied by 41, 44, 47, and 50%. The characterization of NCC were conducted through Fourier Transform Infrared Ray (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The results show that the shorter length of NCC was found with increasing higher sulphuric acid concentration. However, the crystallinity was decreased at higher sulphruric acid concentration. Based on the XRD analysis, the highest crystallinity index (90.7%) was obtained at the sulphuric acid concentration of 41%.