The self-assembly of nanocellulose in the form of cellulose
nanofibers
(CNFs) can be accomplished via hydrogen-bonding assistance into completely
bio-based hydrogels. This study aimed to use the intrinsic properties
of CNFs, such as their ability to form strong networks and high absorption
capacity and exploit them in the sustainable development of effective
wound dressing materials. First, TEMPO-oxidized CNFs were separated
directly from wood (W-CNFs) and compared with CNFs separated from
wood pulp (P-CNFs). Second, two approaches were evaluated for hydrogel
self-assembly from W-CNFs, where water was removed from the suspensions
via evaporation through suspension casting (SC) or vacuum-assisted
filtration (VF). Third, the W-CNF-VF hydrogel was compared to commercial
bacterial cellulose (BC). The study demonstrates that the self-assembly
via VF of nanocellulose hydrogels from wood was the most promising
material as wound dressing and displayed comparable properties to
that of BC and strength to that of soft tissue.