What is cellulose, chitin and chitosan nanofiber

What is cellulose nanofiber

Cellulose nanofiber * (CNF) is a nanofiber material made from plant-derived cellulose.

Cellulose, the main component of the plant cell wall, is the most abundant polymer on the earth, and the annual production is estimated at more than 100 billion tons.

Its structure is an aggregate of microfibers (cellulose microfibrils) with a width of 3 to 4 nm with several tens of cellulose molecules bundled. Simple substance of microfibers or aggregate which is fibrillated into a width of tens of nanometer or less are collectively referred to as CNF.

CNF has 5 times the strength with 1/5 lightness of steel and its linear thermal expansion is as small as that of quartz glass, and it has excellent characteristics, and its application in various industries is being studied.

* In general, there are two types of nanocellulose: cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), and "BiNFi-s" cellulose is classified as CNF. Using cellulose as a raw material, nanofibers manufactured by mechanical fibrillation are CNF and nanofibers produced by acid hydrolysis are CNC. There is also "TEMPO oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN)" which is manufactured by a combination of TEMPO catalytic oxidation and minor mechanical process. Each has its own characteristics, different usage depending on the application, applied research is done.

What is chitin, chitosan nanofiber

Chitin nanofiber is a nanofiber material made from chitin which can be taken from the crustacean shell.
Chitin, which is the main component of the crustacean shell, is the second largest macromolecule present on the earth next to cellulose, and the annual production is estimated to be almost the same as that of cellulose.
Chitosan is a cationic polymer obtained by deacetylating chitin.
Chitin nanofiber and chitosan nanofiber have the same structure and features as CNF and also have high biocompatibility, so it is expected to be more than CNF in the medical / pharmaceutical industry.
In addition, N-acetylglucosamine · glucosamine obtained by decomposing chitin · chitosan is drawing attention as a functional food.

Various applications

• Chemical: Resin reinforcement materials, transparent material substrates,etc.
• Electronic: Electrode materials, conductive auxiliary materials, etc.
• Fiber: Reinforcement materials, binder materials, adsorbents,  filters, etc.
• Cosmetics: Base agents, moisturizers, sunscreens, etc.
• Food: Functional ingredients, thickeners, moisture and shape retention agents, etc.
• Pharmaceutical: Biocompatible materials, film agents, hemostatic agents, etc.
• Building materials: Multi-functional building materials and interior materials, etc.
• Pigment: toner, color filter for liquid crystal, ink for printer and paint, etc.

We develop, manufacture and sell various nanofiber materials.

Sugino machine can provide these cellulose nanofibers, chitin nanofibers, chitosan nanofibers as "BiNFi-s" series, according to the application.

One of the strengths is that we can manufacture nanofibers using different raw materials by our own Water jet method(
for further details, please click here).