Application of nanocellulose in the field of water bombs

1. Preface

Water bullets (hydrogel bullets) are gel particles formed by a highly absorbent polymer as the main body and after moisture expansion. Due to its high safety, soft touch, and reusable characteristics, it is widely used in children's toys, outdoor real-person confrontation, and non-lethal training equipment for military and police. However, traditional water bomb materials are mainly sodium polyacrylate high-water absorption resins. Although they have strong water absorption capacity, they have problems such as high brittleness, fragility, residual monomers may cause safety hazards and non-degradability. With the rise of the green material industry, nanocellulose, as a renewable nanomaterial derived from natural fibers, is providing new ideas for the performance upgrade and sustainable development of water bombs.

2. Structure and characteristics of nanocellulose

Nanocellulose includes cellulose nanofibers ( CNF ), cellulose nanocrystals ( CNC ) and bacterial cellulose ( BC ), with the following typical characteristics:

Ultrafine Scale : The diameter is usually 5–100 nm and has an extremely high specific surface area.

High strength : Tensile strength can reach 200–500 MPa , close to or even exceed some engineering plastics.

Rich surfactant groups : contains hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, etc., which can form hydrogen bond networks with water molecules and polymers.

Hydrophilicity can be controlled : surface modification is achieved through TEMPO oxidation, carboxymethylation and other methods, and water absorption and water release properties are adjusted.

Completely degradable : comes from natural cellulose, in line with the concept of green environmental protection.

These characteristics enable nanocellulose to act as both a reinforcement and a structural stabilizer in the water-elastic system to exert a composite effect.

3. Application mechanism of nanocellulose in water bombs

After the molding network
is dispersed in the aqueous phase, nanocellulose can be self-assembled to form a three-dimensional network structure, acting as a ' skeleton ' to ensure that the water bomb remains intact spherical shape after absorbing water and expanding.

Enhanced mechanical properties
Through hydrogen bond cross-linking and fiber entanglement effects, the toughness and compressive strength of the water bomb are significantly improved, and fragmentation during launch and collision are reduced.

Regulating the rate of water absorption and water release,
nanocellulose surfactant groups can form stable bonds with water molecules, avoiding excessive expansion or rapid water loss in a short period of time, which helps to extend the service life.

Environmentally friendly and safe
nanocellulose is derived from plant fibers or microbial metabolites, is non-toxic and degradable, and will not cause burden on children's health and ecological environment.

4. Performance improvement and experimental data

Experimental studies have shown that after the introduction of into the water bomb formula , the performance of water bombs has been significantly improved: 0.5%-2% nanocellulose

These data show that nanocellulose not only improves the physical properties of the water bomb, but also improves the product user experience.

5. Industrialization and application prospects

Children's toys : Nanocellulose water bombs have better safety and environmental protection, and are expected to become the first choice entertainment material for parents in the future.

Outdoor competition and live battle : Enhanced toughness and durability make it remain intact during intense launches and collisions, suitable for outdoor competitive scenes.

Military and police training : It can be used as a low-injury and biodegradable training projectile to improve the safety and environmental protection of training.

Functional expansion : Through nanocellulose surface modification, it is expected to develop ' multifunctional water bombs ' with fluorescence, sustained release fragrances and even drug release functions.。

6. Conclusion

With its nanocellulose nanostructure characteristics, mechanical enhancement effects and green environmental protection advantages , is providing new solutions to the water bomb industry. It not only improves the toughness, moldability and water storage performance of water bombs, but also lays the foundation for the water bomb industry to develop towards high-end and environmentally friendly. With the reduction of preparation costs and the maturity of application technologies, nanocellulose will show broader prospects in the fields of water bombs and related gel materials.