Herein, we investigate a sustainable hydrophobic modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with epoxidized canola oil (ECO) via an oxirane ring-opening reaction, in order to improve compatibility with poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The modified CNCs (CNC-g-ECO) exhibited improved hydrophobicity, as evidenced by their lack of colloidal stability in water and an increase in water contact angle from 33° to 73°. Importantly, XRD analysis indicated that the modification did not disrupt the crystalline structure of the CN…

ABSTRACT The articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex network of biomolecules that includes fibronectin (FN). FN acts as an extracellular glue, controlling the assembly of other macromolecular constituents to the ECM. However, how FN participates in the binding and retention of synovial fluid components, the natural lubricant of articulated joints, to form a wear-protecting and lubricating film has not been established. This study reports on the role of FN and its molecular conformation in media…

The articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex network of biomolecules that includes fibronectin (FN). FN acts as an extracellular glue, controlling the assembly of other macromolecular constituents to the ECM. However, how FN participates in the binding and retention of synovial fluid components, the natural lubricant of articulated joints, to form a wear-protecting and lubricating film has not been established. This study reports on the role of FN and its molecular conformation in mediating macr…

Understanding structure-function relationships is essential to advance the manufacturing of next-gen materials with desired properties and functionalities. Precise and rapid measurement of features like wrinkle size, droplet diameter, and surface roughness is essential to establishing such structure-function relationships. To this end, this work developed feature size and surface morphology characterizations through image analysis in Python and validated them with both synthetic and experimental images. Manual mea…

Abstract Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are commercially available materials derived from cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on our planet. Due largely to their high strength, high surface area‐to‐volume ratio, tailorable surface chemistry, and the abundance of biomass feedstocks with which to produce them, CNCs have attracted significant interest in applications spanning the paints and coatings, composites, packaging, and biomedical sectors. However, and perhaps most interestingly, CNCs will self‐assemble (or…