Self-organizing capacity of nanocelluloses via droplet evaporation

The relation between the fibril shapes and the self-organizing capacity was investigated by comparing the results of evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) in 2D (“coffee rings”) and 3D (spray-dried microparticles (MPs)) for rod-like and semi-flexible nanocelluloses. The rod-like tunicin nanowhiskers formed nematic alignment along the perimeter of coffee rings, and also formed curved discotic microparticles having nematic rings of width ∼300 nm by spray drying. On the other hand, the semi-flexible tunicin nanofibers failed to undergo a phase transition by EISA, and formed spray-dried MPs with multiple sharp kinks and rough contours. The rod-like nanocelluloses exhibited the self-organizing capacity of the phase transition and left-handed chirality. The expression of the self-organizing capacity of rod-like particles was found to be independent of initial droplet shapes and sizes via surface tension measurements.