Cellulose nanocrystals mimicking micron sized fibers to assess the deposition of latex particles on cotton

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that cellulose nanocrystals can model and optimize the deposition of latex particles on cotton fabrics, revealing electrostatic interactions and structural changes in latexes, to improve textile manufacturing processes.

Contribution

It introduces CNCs as effective models for studying latex-cotton interactions, highlighting the role of electrostatics and particle charge in deposition efficiency.

Findings

Electrostatic interactions mediate latex/CNC binding.

Higher charge increases deposition on cotton.

Latexes deform into faceted shapes upon interaction.

Abstract

We report the interactions of cationic latex particles synthesized by RAFT/MADIX-mediated emulsion polymerization with anionic cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cotton fabrics. Latexes in the size range 200-300 nm with poly(butyl acrylate) or poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) hydropho-bic cores and hydrophilic shell are synthesized. We show that the latex/CNC interaction is me-diated by electrostatics, the interaction being the strongest with the most charged particles. The adsorption process is efficient and does not require any functionalization step for either cellulose or latex. A major result is the observation by cryogenic transmission electron micros-copy of latexes coated with entangled arrays of CNCs, and for the softer particles a notable deformation of their structure into faceted polyhedra. By labeling the latexes with hydrophobic carbocyanine dyes, their deposition on woven cotton fabrics is studied in situ and quantified by fluorescence microscopy. As with the CNCs, the highest deposition on cotton in the wet and dried states is achieved with the most charged latexes. This demonstrates that CNCs can serve as models to adjust the interactions of latex particles with cotton, and thus optimize manufac-turing processes for the development of advanced textiles.