Tailoring the Morphology of Cellulose Nanocrystals via Controlled Aggregation

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are elongated nanoparticles derived from natural cellulose, with potential applications ranging from rheological modifiers and emulsion stabilizers to photonic pigments and sensors. For most applications, precise control over CNC morphology and surface chemistry is essential, but the relationship between process parameters, CNC characteristics, and their resulting behavior is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the impact of centrifugation and ionic strength on CNC morphology after dialysis using transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron diffraction. We find that the centrifugation step commonly applied during CNC purification promotes the formation of compact composite nanoparticles made of aligned crystallites, referred to as 'bundles', that are associated preferentially along their hydrophobic faces. In stark contrast, transient exposure to high ionic strength leads to fractal-like, irregular composite nanoparticles. We then examine the consequence of these morphological differences on the cholesteric self-organization of the CNCs: aligned bundles reduce the cholesteric pitch in suspension, causing a blue-shift in the color of dish-cast photonic films, while misaligned particles promote gelation, producing colorless films. This study reveals the importance of sample history, in particular, the often-disregarded purification steps, on CNC characteristics and their ensemble behavior, thereby unlocking new routes for tailoring this promising nanomaterial.