All‐Natural, Degradable, Rolled‐Up Straws Based on Cellulose Micro‐ and Nano‐Hybrid Fibers. (6th April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Xizheng; Pang, Zhenqian; Chen, Chaoji; Xia, Qinqin; Zhou, Yubing; Jing, Shuangshuang; Wang, Ruiliu; Ray, Upamanyu; Gan, Wentao; Li, Claire; Chen, Gegu; Foster, Bob; Li, Teng; Hu, Liangbing
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 30:Number 22(2020)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2020-04-06
• Subjects: cellulose -- coarse‐grained modeling -- sustainable materials; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201910417
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

Abstract: Among all the plastic pollution, straws have brought particularly intricate problems since they are single use, consumed in a large volume, cannot be recycled in most places, and can never be fully degraded. To solve this problem, replacements for plastic straws are being developed following with the global trend of plastic straw bans. Nevertheless, none of the available degradable alternatives are satisfactory due to drawbacks including poor natural degradability, high cost, low mechanical performance, and poor water stability. Here, all‐natural degradable straws are designed by hybridizing cellulose nanofibers and microfibers in a binder‐free manner. Straws are fabricated by rolling up the wet hybrid film and sealed by the internal hydrogen bonding formed among the cellulose fibers after drying. The cellulose hybrid straws show exceptional behaviors including 1) excellent mechanical performance (high tensile strength of ≈70 MPa and high ductility with a fracture strain of 12.7%), 2) sufficient hydrostability (10× wet mechanical strength compared to commercial paper straw), 3) low cost, and 4) high natural degradability. Given the low‐cost raw materials, the binder‐free hybrid design based on cellulose structure can potentially be a suitable solution to solve the environmental challenges brought by the enormous usage of plastics straws. Abstract : Here, all‐natural degradable straws are designed by hybridizing cellulose nanofibers and microfibers. Straws are fabricated by rolling up the wet hybrid film and sealed by internal hydrogen bonding, so no adhesive is needed. The cellulose hybrid straws show exceptional behaviors including excellent mechanical performance, sufficient hydrostability, and low cost, providing a suitable solution to replace plastic straws.