Comparative analysis of the differences and application between CNC, CNF and bacterial cellulose

You are here: Homepage » News » News Center » Comparative analysis of the differences and application between CNC, CNF and bacterial cellulose

Comparative analysis of the differences and application between CNC, CNF and bacterial cellulose

Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-04-30 Origin: Site

Comparative analysis of the difference between CNCCNF and bacterial cellulose

Nanocellulose is a new material derived from natural cellulose, with the advantages of high strength, low density biodegradability, etc. It is widely used in packaging composite materials, medical dressings, flexible electronics and other fields. Common nanocellulose types include: cellulose nanocrystals ( CNC ) , cellulose nanofiber filaments ( CNF ) and bacterial cellulose ( BC ). This article will systematically compare the differences between the three nanocelluloses from the aspects of source structure performance and application.

Source and preparation of one or three types of nanocellulose

type	source	Preparation method	Environmental protection
CNC	Plant fibers such as wood pulp cotton	Remove amorphous regions by sulfuric acid hydrolysis	Acid solution needs to be processed
CNF	Wood pulp straw flax, etc.	High pressure homogenous grinding enzymatic lysis	Relatively green, high energy consumption
BC	Microorganisms such as acetate	Static or stirred liquid fermentation	Biological processes, environmentally friendly but costly

Comparison of two structural features and dimensions

type	Profile	Size range	Crystallization degree
CNC	Rigid rod-shaped crystals	3–20 nm width , 100–500 nm length	High ( 60–90%)
CNF	Flexible filament	Diameter 5–50 nm, length micrometers	medium
BC	Three-dimensional nano-network structure	Diameter 20–100 nm	Extremely high ( >80%)

Comparison of three physical properties

type	Mechanical properties	Thermal stability	Transparency	Dispersibility
CNC	High strength but brittle	Moderate, affected by sulfate groups	good	Stable suspension
CNF	Good flexibility	Stablize	generally	Easy to reunite, need to be dispersed ultrasonic
BC	Toughness and strength	Excellent	Extremely high	Natural gel structure

Four chemical properties and biosafety

type	Surface groups	Modification capability	Biocompatibility
CNC	–OH–OSO₃⁻ (Sulphate hydrolysis residue)	High, can be used for grafting and composite	good
CNF	–OH, partially introduced –COOH	High, suitable for water-based modification	good
BC	High purity hydroxyl group	Extremely high, suitable for biological functionalization	Excellent, widely used in the medical field

Five typical application areas

type	Application direction
CNC	Reinforced plastic transparent coating electronics
CNF	Food thickener medical gel functional paper
BC	Medical dressing artificial skin biofilm material flexible sensor

Suggestions on the selection of six or three types of nanocellulose

CNC is suitable for scenarios where rigidity requirements are high and composite materials need to be reinforced;

CNF is suitable for use in colloidal dispersion systems for flexible substrate foods;

BC is more suitable for high-end fields with biomedical food contact and high purity needs

Seven conclusion

Understanding the structural and performance differences between CNC CNF and bacterial cellulose will help make reasonable choices in scientific research and industrial production. With the continuous optimization of preparation technology, nanocellulose will play greater value in the fields of environmentally friendly materials biomedical and intelligent manufacturing.