Efficient Hydrolysis of Chitin in a Deep Eutectic Solvent Synergism for Production of Chitin Nanocrystals

Nanomaterials

Shu Hong¹  Hailan Lian¹  Kaitao Zhang²  Henrikki Liimatainen²  Yang Yuan² 

[1] College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China;Fibre and Particle Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4300, 90014 Oulu, Finland;

关键词: chitin;    nanocrystals;    deep eutectic solvent;    emulsion;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nano10050869

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

A deep eutectic solvent (DES) derived from ferric chloride hexahydrate and betaine chloride (molar ratio of 1:1) was used as hydrolytic media for production of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) with a high yield (up to 88.5%). The synergistic effect of Lewis acid and released Brønsted acid from betaine hydrochloride enabled the efficient hydrolysis of chitin for production of ChNCs coupled with ultrasonication with low energy consumption. The obtained ChNCs were with an average diameter of 10 nm and length of 268 nm, and a crystallinity of 89.2% with optimal synthesis conditions (at 100 °C for 1 h with chitin-to-DES mass ratio of 1:20). The ChNCs were further investigated as efficient emulsion stabilizers, and they resulted in stable o/w emulsions even at a high oil content of 50% with a low ChNC dosage of 1 mg/g. Therefore, a potential approach based on a DES on the production of chitin-based nanoparticles as emulsifiers is introduced.

【 授权许可】

Unknown