Abstract
Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) are used as drainage and retention aids to improve dewatering of cellulose fibers as they form networks during paper web formation. While the appropriate addition of PECs to standard pulp fibers has shown improved dewatering, more work is needed to understand how they may impact the dewatering of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). In this fundamental study, we show how the selection of polycations in a PEC system and the electrostatic interactions influence dewatering of CNF and PEC networks, through water retention value (WRV) testing. We examine three readily available polyamines and complex them with the polyanion polyacrylic acid at conditions where the electrostatic interactions between these polymers are tuned by changing the salt concentration or the charge ratio. At low salt concentrations, the presence of PECs can prevent dewatering and formation of a fiber pad, resulting in WRVs higher than a CNF control, but at high-salt concentrations, reduced electrostatic interactions allow for improved WRVs, below the CNF only control. By understanding how polycation selection and PEC phase behavior influences WRVs of CNF-PEC networks in the context of tuning electrostatic interactions, we provide scientific insights that may be applied to improve dewatering during fiber mat formation.
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Author NK has received research support from the Renewable Bioproducts Institute and the Center for the Study of Women, Science and Technology at Georgia Tech. Electrophoretic mobility testing was conducted at the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences Biopolymer Characterization Core at Georgia Tech.
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Khan, N., Renfroe, A.R., von Grey, P. et al. The influence of electrostatic interactions in polyelectrolyte complexes on water retention values of cellulose nanofiber slurries. Cellulose 29, 9163–9181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-022-04827-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-022-04827-9