Lucian Amerigo Lucia

North Carolina State University | NCSU · Departments of Forest Biomaterials, Chemistry

Unbleached hardwood kraft pulp was treated with a non-ionic surfactant to decrease the concentration of a hydration shell by dislodging hard-to-remove water through a targeted reduction in surface tension. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry techniques were used...

Every year, over 8 million tons of crustacean shells are discarded. However, there exists an opportunity for valorizing the chitin and calcium carbonate part of the composition of the shells. Our study revealed crustacean chitin reduces self-aggregation effects. It was shown that crustacean-based nanofibers alone or added to cellulose offer unprece...

Conversion of low-value biomass to hierarchically porous carbon-based materials for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR), without using conventional template methods, is of particular significant for energy storage technology. Herein, dual honeycomb-like porous carbon inspired by multiscale structure of wood was assembled with cationic nanocellulose fi...

A template-free and one-step carbonization process was developed for fabricating graphitic porous carbon spheres (GPCSs) on hemicelluloses as the electrode material for supercapacitors. This method is green, low-energy, and less time consuming compared to the conventional two-step process (pore-forming and graphitizing). It uses K 2 FeO 4 , a mild...

The cellulosic fiber collapsing is a phenomenon of fundamental importance for technologies from tissue/hygiene to packaging because it governs tensile strength, softness, and water absorption; therefore, we elaborate cellulose fiber collapse from water interactions. This is the first work to directly correlate fiber collapse and entrapped or hard-t...

This chapter reviews research about biodegradable bionanocomposite barrier films, which have the potential to replace petroleum-based barrier films that currently have a dominant role in the packaging and serving of food products. In addition to describing the state of research in this field, a series of pivotal questions are considered that may af...

Lignin has shown a great potential to produce fuels, value-added chemicals, and functional materials due to its high-energy density and intrinsic aromatic-based structure. Yet, the lignin precipitation of different biomasses needs investigation because most of the work has been performed on softwood and much less is known about hardwoods. In fact,...

A deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of sulfamic acid and glycerol allowed for the sustainable preparation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) with simultaneous sulfation. The reaction time and the levels of sulfamic acid demonstrated that fibers could be swelled and sulfated simultaneously by a sulfamic acid-glycerol-based DES and swelling also promo...

Although many effects to design smart self-healing sustainable hydrogels with sensitivity to multi-environmental stimuli have been documented, a facile fabrication of stimuli-responsive hydrogels with improved mechanical properties remains challenging. Here, smart self-healing sustainable hydrogels containing soy protein polymer (SPP) and/or graphe...

Residual hemp (Cannabis sativa) hurd fibers obtained from hydrothermal, carbonate, and kraft treatments were the resources used to obtain lignocellulosic nanofibers (LCNF) by using an ultra-fine friction grinder. The morphological, crystallinity, and chemical characteristics of the nanocellulose films were carried out using SEM, XRD, EDX and ToF-SI...

A novel approach is proposed for applying Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) to produce hydrochar from soybean hulls in which it was found that processing variables significantly affect morphology and physico-chemical characteristics of the resultant hydrochars. All HTC experiments were done at 250 oC at varying pH environments (acidic and neutral) a...

Magnetic lignin-based adsorbent (MLA) was successfully fabricated to remove methyl orange dye from aqueous solution. The synthesized MLA was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). In the...

The present investigation undertook a systematic investigation of the molecular weight (MW) of kraft lignins throughout the pulping process to establish a correlation between MW and lignin recovery at different extents of the kraft pulping process. The evaluation of MW is crucial for lignin characterization and utilization since it is known to infl...

Earlier studies developed a steady-state model to predict the brightness and/or bleach consumption during the chlorine dioxide brightening (D1) of softwood pulps produced by conventional elemental-chlorine-free (ECF) sequences. This model relates the chlorine dioxide consumed to the brightness gains predicated upon an asymptotic D1 brightness limit...

Nanocellulose fibers bioengineered by bacteria are a high-performance three-dimensional cross-linked network which can confine a dispersed liquid medium such as water. The strong chemical and physical interactions of dispersed water molecules with the entangled cellulosic network allow these materials to be ideal substrates for effective liquid sep...

Using reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud) as raw material, straw pulp was prepared by low alkali (less than 6%) pretreatment combined with mechanical grinding. The effects of pretreatment times and alkali dosages on pulp properties and pretreatment solution were investigated. The results demonstrated that alkali pretreatment affected...

Chitin–clay composite hydrogels were successfully fabricated through a facile alkali and freeze treatment. Systematic structure–property relationships based on different compositions of the composite systems were determined. It was found that addition of clay considerably increased the thermal stability as indicated by increases in initial decompos...

Stress relaxation is an important parameter factor to determine the applicability of materials under the condition of dynamic loading. Here, we found that soy protein polymer (SPP), a natural polymer, can improve stress relaxation resistance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) films. Such improvement in stress relaxation resistance was accompanied with the...

A severe challenge hindering preparation of chitin-based composites is there insolubility in normal solvents. Different composites gels were successfully fabricated through alkali and freezing treatment in chitin‑titanium dioxide (TiO2) suspensions. TiO2 particles played a key role in chitin gel performance, in which improved thermal stability and...

Cellulose Nanofibrils (CNFs) were exposed to a certain amount of sodium chloride (NaCl) before being subjected to two types of drying methods (freeze drying and vacuum drying). The effect of two drying methods on water redispersibility of CNFs was investigated by characterizing product morphology, particle size distribution, water stability, and su...

Chitin derived from crustacean biomass has great potential for the production of eco-friendly materials. However, one challenge is its insolubility in regular solvents. Herein, the gelation of chitin alkali suspension was induced via freeze-thawing approach. The as-prepared hydrogels with/without dialysis treatment were freeze-dried into solid foam...

Deswelling and reswelling behaviors of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) gel systems were studied in which natural polymers promoted reswelling capacity of PVOH gels, while salt (NaCl) solutions de-swelled the hydrogels but improved the reswelling performance. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicated that the salt treatment considerably improved t...

Poly(aminobenzeneboronic acid)-cellulose nanocrystals ([email protected]) mediated self-healing and shape memory hydrogels are reported for the first time. [email protected] are designed as efficient crosslinker, light-to-heat generator and strengthening agent in hydrogel. CNCs within dual crosslinking networks characterized by physical microcrysta...

Hydrogels are three-dimensional porous polymeric networks prepared by physical or chemical cross-linking of hydrophilic molecules, which can be made into smart materials through judicious chemical modifications to recognize external stimuli; more specifically, this can be accomplished by the integration with stimuli-responsive polymers or sensing m...

Wettability is one of the most critical interfacial properties of any surface. Surfaces with special wettability such as superwetting or superantiwetting are being intensively explored for their wide-ranging applicability by a biomimetic exploration of unusual wetting phenomena in nature. This study provides a green water-infused superoleophobic co...

Society’s wish list for future packaging systems is placing some daunting challenges upon researchers: In addition to protecting contents during storage and shipping, the material must not bio-accumulate, and it should be readily recyclable by using practical processing steps. This article considers strategies employing bio-based plastics and revie...

Lignin biomass is an important renewable woody material that can be converted into high value-added products through physical and chemical reactions, such as paper strength additives. In this study, a cationic methacryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride monomer (DMC) and anionic acrylic monomer (AA) were grafted onto softwood kraft lignin throu...

The working hypothesis for the work was that pulping to a higher kappa number would produce a higher yield pulp and then treating that pulp with a surface reactive lignin peroxidase to ablate surface lignin would increase specific bonding area. In the present case the working hypothesis was modified to be that SBP will work like lignin peroxidase t...

Sustainable development of lignocellulose fibers exhibits significant potential to supplant synthetic polymer feedstocks and offer a global platform for generating sustainable packaging, bioplastics, sanitary towels, wipes, and related products. The current research explored the dynamics of fiber production from wood, non-wood and agro-residues usi...

Lignin is an abundant, renewable, and relatively cheap biobased feedstock that has potential in energy, chemicals, and materials. Kraft lignin, more specifically, has been used for more than 100 years as a self-sustaining energy feedstock for industry after which it has finally reached more widespread commercial appeal. Unfortunately, hardwood kraf...

The aim of the current research is to develop super absorbent materials from wood-pulp-based materials for the replacement of petroleum-based super absorbent hygienic products. The effect of citric concentration, sodium hypophosphite, reaction time, and temperature on percent carboxyl content of modified bleached hardwood pulp was analyzed. The mod...

To achieve a better understanding of the pyrolysis behavior of pre-oxidized β-ether-type lignin, three Cα=O type dimers with different substituent groups on the aromatic ring were synthesized and analyzed by a simultaneous thermal analysis instrument (STA), in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in-situ FTIR), and pyrolysis-gas chromatogr...

A novel choline-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) with low halogen content—namely choline lactate-lactic acid (CLL)—was synthesized by replacing the chloride anion with lactate anion in choline chloride-lactic acid (CCL). CLL and CCL treatments were conducted at 140 °C for 12 h with hydrogen bond acceptor/hydrogen bond donor =1/10, thereafter compo...

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were surface-modified using immobilized lipase (Novozyme 435) to catalyze the formation of laurate ester groups on the CNC surface and thus facilitate homogeneous dispersion within a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix. Results of dynamic contact angle measurement revealed that the modified CNCs (CNC-LAA) presented greater...

Cellulose is the world’s most abundant natural polymer that displays highly desirable characteristics such as biodegradability and sustainability. Its derivatives and associated structured functional materials have potential in various fields such as surface engineering, energy and storage, water treatment, flexible electronics, construction, physi...

Smart materials with shape-memory and healing capability have received increasing interests because of their many potential applications. Here, a novel nanocomposite fabricated by polyurethane (PU) and copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuSNPs), which demonstrated ultra-efficient photo-triggerable healing and shape memory properties under near-infrared...

Ionic liquids (ILs) pretreatment is shown to improve the pulp bleachability and modify the physical strength of the hardwood pulp during the oxygen-chlorine dioxide-hydrogen peroxide (ODP) bleaching. The pretreatment enhanced lignin removal in ODP bleaching, resulting in decreased lignin content of the pretreated pulp. The brightness and strength p...

Rational spatio-temporal irradiation of cellulose-based hydrogels (carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), citric acid, and riboflavin) using a laser diode stereolithography 3D printer provided architectures referred to as photodegradation addressable hydrogels (PAHs). Under irradiation, these PAHs engage in an unprecedented spatially resolved zonal swellin...

Ultrafiltration (UF) is an effective approach for the separation and purification of organic components dissolved in lignocellulosic pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL). However, flux decline has been a problem that restricts UF industrial applications. Here, the main impact factors for flux decline on UF processing of PHL are examined. Flux decline curves...

Citric acid (CA) was used for the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of cellulose nanofiber and found to exert remarkable effects on the chemistry and physical aspects of the product distribution. More specifically, the morphology, yield, elemental and proximate composition, chemical functional groups, thermal properties and surface properties of the...

Lignin is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry that can be precipitated by acidification from black liquor as a potential feedstock for valuable green materials. Precipitation and quantification of lignin from softwood black liquors have been documented and commercialized with well-established methods; however, applying those methods to the...

The fabrication process determines the microstructure and physical properties of material to some extent. In this study nanofibrillated cellulose /graphene oxide (NFC/GO) composites were fabricated by casting and evaporation methods, respectively. The microstructure and thermostability of the composites were investigated. The composites fabricated...

Achieving mild and efficient extraction of high purity lignin from corncob acid hydrolysis residue is essential for efficient lignin application. In this study, enzymatic/mild acidolysis lignin (EMAL) and deep eutectic solvent (DES)-lignin were extracted from corncob acid hydrolysis residue. The structural features of the two lignin fractions were...

Prehydrolysis kraft pulping is an effective approach to produce dissolving pulp, which can be used for viscose application. The prehydrolysis process using hot liquid water could remove hemicellulose and loosen the compact cell wall, thus facilitating subsequent pulping and bleaching processes. In this study, the composite severity factor (CSF) was...

A hybrid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)/cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) hydrogel composite was fabricated by inverted stereolithography 3D printing to provide a new platform for regulating lower critical solution temperature (LCST) properties and thus tuning optical and bioadhesive properties. The phenomena of interest in the as-printed PNIPAm/C...

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were prepared using acid hydrolysis of cellulose fiber. The CNC modified topo-chemically by grafting of bulky cholesterol moieties which changed subsequent morphology, thermal behavior, lyotropic crystalline properties, and host-guest release behavior. Bond formation between the cellulose nanocrystals surfaces and chole...

PolyElectrolyte Nanoparticles (PENs) obtained by layer-by-layer self-assembly of polycations/polyanions suffer from a lack of colloidal stability in physiological conditions. We report a simple innovative approach for increasing their stability by multiple ionic cross-linkers. Herein, a chitosan-based core was stabilized by polyanions such as tripo...

Sulfuric acid is often used to pretreat cellulose prior to homogenization and conversion to nanocellulose. It would be economically significant to reuse the acid to close the overall value chain loop. The target of this work was to investigate the effect of recovery and recycling frequency of sulfuric acid from the pretreatments on the pretreatment...

The morphological and physical properties of hydrochar from hydrothermal carbonization of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) are herein described in which it was found that the initial starting structure influences to a great extent the final hydrochar structure observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Effects of temperature and heating time on...

Among nano-biomaterials, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) possessing intrinsically appealing fiber dimensions on the nanometer scale and biocompatibility feature arguably the greatest potential for a variety of practical applications such as packaging, hygiene, food and healthcare products. Herein, a new class of nanofibers are introduced from a very gr...

In order to improve the physical properties and brightness of poplar chemi-mechanical pulp, a new staged alkali and hydrogen peroxide treatment method was proposed and applied. Wood chips were impregnated and swelled with an alkali solution and then treated with a hydrogen peroxide bleaching liquor. A thorough evaluation and comparison of the physi...

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has garnered significant attention as a sustainable biomaterial, but its chemical reactivity with respect to its generation, i.e., fibrillation, has heretofore been unexplored. We prepared NFC samples with varying levels of fibrillation by controlling mechanical energy followed by acetylation as a probe to explore ch...

An innovative approach for preparing hemp fibers from hemp hurds for use in tissue and towel grades of paper is described. Hemp hurds are a low value by-product of industrial hemp processing that are generally used for animal bed litter. Tissue paper was fabricated from hemp hurd fibers by following three pulping processes: autohydrolysis (hydrothe...

Two fractions of kraft lignin of low and high molecular weight were reacted with cholesteryl chloroformate (Chol.Cl) to produce a modified lignin that demonstrated very high hydrophobicity. Surprisingly, both fractions displayed discernible melting points as opposed to the starting lignin. The suspension in water also gave rise to nanoparticles tha...

A facile and effective method is described to engineer original bacterial cellulose fibrous networks with tunable porosity. We showed that the pore shape, volume, and size distribution of bacterial nanocellulose membranes can be tailored with appropriate culture conditions specifically carbon sources. Pore characterization techniques such as capill...

Acetylation of wood is an age‐old chemical platform known to improve its chemical and physical properties in direct correlation with the degree of acetylation. However, as of yet, no systematic study has been undertaken to probe the selectivity of acetylation of wood. A fundamental understanding of the molecular basis for acetylation of the constit...

The fabrication and performance of aerogel-based superabsorbents for oil are critically important material aspects. More specifically, efficient oil-water separation per unit time and cycle remain a challenge. Herein, an integrated, continuous, rapid, and highly-recyclable oil-water separation and recycle system has been developed by use of an anis...

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has garnered significant attention as a sustainable biomaterial, but its chemical reactivity with respect to its generation, i.e., fibrillation, has heretofore been unexplored. We prepared NFC samples with varying levels of fibrillation by controlling mechanical energy followed by acetylation as a probe to explore ch...

A green and facile fabrication strategy for synthesis of lignosulfonate-graphene porous hydrogel (LGPH) was designed via incorporation of lignosulfonate (LS) into graphene oxide (GO). This process was achieved by a simple self-assembly method at low temperature, with LS serving as surface functionalization agent. Benefiting from the abundant functi...

The development of a bio-based fluorescent membrane sensor for iron ions is elaborated. A three-dimensional (3D) network structure of bacterial cellulose (BC) made by layer-by-layer in situ cultivation contained nitrogen doped graphene oxide quantum dots (N-GOQDs). The obtained BC/N-GOQDs were analyzed by SEM, TEM and XPS and demonstrated that the...

The design and synthesis of natural and synthetic polymer blends have received recent and wide attention. These new biomaterials exhibit progress in properties required in the field of medicine and healthcare. Herein, the aim of present study is to fabricate starch (ST)/polyacrylic acid (PAA) electrospun nanofibrous mat with a smooth and uniform mo...