Swelling and Free-Volume Characteristics of TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibril Films

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in diverse technologies requiring sustainable nanoscale species to form or modify films. The objective of the present study is to investigate the swelling behavior and accompanying free volume of self-standing TEMPO-oxidized (TO) CNF films in the presence of water vapor. For this purpose, we have performed time-resolved swelling experiments on films, prepared according to different experimental protocols, at 90% relative humidity (RH) and ambient temperature. Corresponding free-volume characteristics are elucidated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) conducted at ambient temperature and several RH levels. Increasing the drying temperature of the films (from ambient to 50 °C) is observed to promote an increase in film density, which serves to reduce bulk swelling. These elevated drying temperatures likewise cause the free-volume pore size measured by PALS to decrease, while the corresponding total free-volume fraction remains nearly constant. Similarly, dispersion of TO-CNF into aqueous suspensions by ultrasonication prior to film formation increases both the total free-volume fraction and pore size but reduces the size of individual nanofibrils with little net change in bulk swelling. The swelling and concurrent free-volume measurements reported here generally reveal an increase in the free volume of TO-CNF films with increasing RH.