High aqueous content of bacterial cellulose and its application prospects

1. Introduction to bacterial cellulose

Bacterial Cellulose ( BC ) is a natural polymer material synthesized by specific strains (such as Komagataeibacter xylinus ) during fermentation. Compared with plant cellulose, it has a more uniform structure and higher purity, and is free of lignin and hemicellulose, so it exhibits many unique physical and chemical properties. Among them, high water content is one of the most significant advantages of bacterial cellulose and is also a key factor that promotes its entry into medical health, beauty and skin care, food packaging and other industries.

2. Why bacterial cellulose has super high water content

The moisture content of bacterial cellulose can usually reach 90% to 99% , far exceeding that of plant cellulose products. This characteristic stems from its special microstructure:

The nanofiber has extremely fine diameter (about 20–100 nm ), which is easier to bind to water molecules than plant fibers;

Three-dimensional mesh porosity structure with a porosity of up to 90% , providing ' natural containers ' for moisture storage；

A large number of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups can form stable hydrogen bonds with water molecules, so that moisture not only stays on the surface, but also locks inside the cellulose in the form of bound water.

This synergistic existence of combined water and free water allows bacterial cellulose to maintain high water content while still having good breathability and mechanical properties.

3. Performance comparison and data support

Material Type	Moisture content ( %)	Moisturizing duration ( 25℃, 50%RH)	Breathability (oxygen transmittance)	Feature summary
Bacterial Cellulose ( BC)	90–99	≥12 hours	高	High moisture content + breathability, suitable for medical/skin care
Plant cellulose paper	6–8	≤1 hour	中	Low moisture content, easy to dry
Ordinary non-woven fabric substrate	20–30	2–3 hours	中	Low cost, average moisturizing and breathable
Hydrogel material	70–85	6–8 hours	低	Good moisturizing, but limited breathability

From the comparison, bacterial cellulose is far superior to conventional materials in moisture content and moisturizing duration, while maintaining excellent breathability, which is why it is widely favored in the medical and cosmetics industries.

4. Application value brought by high water content

Medical Health

Wound dressing: A humid environment helps accelerate healing and reduce damage during dressing changes.

Artificial skin and tissue engineering scaffolds: High moisture content is similar to human tissues, improving compatibility.

Cosmetics field

Biocellulose mask: High fit, can carry more essence and release it for a long time.

Skin care patch: As a carrier material, used for point-of-point moisturizing and penetration of active ingredients.

Food and packaging

Low-calorie food additives such as coconut fruit.

Fresh preservation film and food packaging, used to lock water and delay oxidation.

Functional materials

Flexible electronic substrate.

Water treatment and filter membranes use high water content and porous network to achieve rapid water permeability.

5. Exploration of Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology

In this field, Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology Co., Ltd. regards high aqueous content as one of the key directions in the research and development of bacterial cellulose.

In the medical and health field, the company is working with scientific research institutions to study its application effects in wound healing and drug sustained release;

In terms of cosmetics , Nanjing Tianlu has started the development of biocellulose mask materials, utilizing its moisturizing and breathable advantages to explore new solutions for high-end skin care products;

In the direction of environmentally friendly materials , the company tries to combine bacterial cellulose membranes with nanocellulose technology to promote the industrialization of green packaging materials.

Through these practices, Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology not only verified the high water content advantages of bacterial cellulose at the laboratory level, but also continued to advance on the road to industrialization.

6. Future prospects

With the deepening of the concept of green and sustainable development, highly aqueous bacterial cellulose will release its potential in more fields. Whether it is personalized dressings in medical and health, high-end skin care carriers in the daily chemical industry, or green alternatives in food and packaging, their applications are full of imagination. Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology will also continue to give full play to its advantages in R&D and industrialization to accelerate the development of this new material from research to market.